


Miles Apart

by Erectopatronum



Series: Miles Apart Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-28 16:05:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14452842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erectopatronum/pseuds/Erectopatronum
Summary: When the Auror department mistakes the Snape household for another and deploys an attack on it's residents, their lives are turned upside-down. With his eldest daughter and wife in the hospital, all of Hogwarts rally together to make things right. But will it be enough? ** Originally posted on FF.net**





	1. A Breach in Safety

Severus Snape sat in the hard plastic chairs in St. Mungos, his head in his hands. His wife and eldest daughter were both in critical condition, a result of a raid that occurred on their home. The Aurors, in all their idiocy, mistook the Snape home for that of another, and blew open the door and severely injured his wife, Emilia, who was in the kitchen and their 15 year old daughter Brooke, who came down the stairs at the sound of the commotion. When the Aurors realized their mistake, all but one fled the scene. The one that stayed called St. Mungos before leaving himself, resulting in Severus coming home moments before the healers. As the healers had worked to stabilize the two women, and after they had pushed the potions master out of the way, Severus fixed the door and strengthened his wards, making his house more secure than it had been previously.

He had sat in the same position for nearly 24 hours, waiting for any news that could lessen his panic. But there wasn’t any news, as his wife and eldest daughter were still in the surgical ward, where healers were trying to find the source of his wife’s internal bleeding and his daughter’s organ failure. The potions master was relieved only by the fact that his other daughter was staying with his mother at the time of the raid and was not in the same condition as her sister. Alexis was 10 and still stayed weekends with his mother and stepfather, unlike Brooke who thought it childish to stay at her grandparents. 

As though she had apparated there, Severus was nearly tackled by the girl he had just thought of, with his mother, Eileen and stepfather, Gabriel chasing behind her. 

“Daddy, is Mummy and Brooke going to be alright?” Alexis climbed into his lap and Severus wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her hair. He and his wife had thought that Alexis calling them Mummy and Daddy was childish and wondered when she was going to switch over to Mum and Dad like Brooke had been for years, but at this moment, Severus didn’t care. He was just glad that one member of his family were alright.

“Sev, we came as soon as we heard. What happened?” Eileen sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him and Alexis. 

“An Auror raid gone wrong, that’s what. Emilia and Brooke were hexed for no reason other than mistaken identity and the seven Aurors that blew apart my front door fled. I came home about five minutes after they left.” Severus raised his head, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. “They could have been killed… they might die and it’s their entire fault, mum.” Severus placed his face back on Alexis’ head, trying not to break down.

Alexis twisted in his lap and tucked her head into his neck, clearly scared for her mother and sister. “When are we going to know if they’re okay?” She mumbled into her father’s neck.

“I’ve been here for hours, love. I don’t know when we’ll know. As far as I know, they’re still in surgery.” Severus glanced at the clock on the wall and then out the window. “It’s late, try to get some sleep, child.” 

“I don’t think I can, Daddy.” Alexis raised her face, her eyes puffy and red. 

Severus chuckled drying before pushing her head back against his shoulder with one hand and he rubbed her back with the other. “Try, Alexis and I’ll wake you if we find out anything.” Within ten minutes, her breath evened out and she was asleep, her head lolled on her father’s shoulder. 

It was nearly 12 more hours before a healer came to see the family that waited anxiously for any scrap of news. 

“Mr. Snape?” A young man dressed in green robes addressed Severus.

“Yes?” Severus looked up sharply, clearly at his wits end. 

“Your wife is resting now and is stable for the time being. We found bleeding in her stomach and in her small intestine but we have sealed it, hopefully for good. The next 24 hours should give us a clearer understanding on how she will recover.” 

“What of Brooke?” Gabriel asked, holding his wife’s hand tightly. 

“Her kidneys and liver are still slowly shutting down, but if we can determine the spells that caused the organ failure, we should be able to reverse it. She is still in surgery and we are doing everything we can, Mr. Snape. We understand you have been here a very long time and we understand how frustrating this can be.” 

Severus clutched Alexis tightly, the remaining color draining from his face. His Brooke might still die and there was nothing he could do to save her. In his mind, he ran through every single time she had been injured and every time he could remember, he had been right there with her, holding her hand and promising her everything was going to be okay. He wasn’t there now and deep inside, he felt like he had failed her. 

When was the last time he told her he loved her? When was the last time she had hugged him or kissed his cheek before he left for work in the mornings? When was the last time he had tucked her into bed or taken her temperature when she was sick? He barely heard his mother thank the healer and cast a privacy charm around them before he felt hot moisture drip down his face and plop onto his daughter’s head. 

“Sev, darling, the healer said we can go and see Emilia. When you’re ready, we’ll go to her room.” Eileen held onto her son’s hand, trying to give him strength. 

Alexis stirred and woke and upon seeing her father’s tears, panicked. “Daddy, is Mummy okay? Is Brooke okay? You said you would wake me if we had any news!” 

Severus’ breath shuddered and he wiped at his face with his palms. “Yes, love, Mummy is fine for now. We can go see her if you want, but you have to be very calm and quiet. We don’t want the bleeding to start again, okay?” Severus had never ended a statement in his life with ‘okay’ but he pleaded with his youngest then, he pleaded to her in that one word to not be frantic and to jump on the bed like she did when she was younger and wanted to wake her parents for Christmas. 

“What about Brooke? Is she okay?” Alexis asked, scared for her sister. 

“The healers are doing what they can. Her kidneys and liver aren’t working properly and…” Severus couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Brooke’s organs were failing. Unless the healers acted fast, the spells that caused the kidneys and liver to stop working would move to her other organs and she would die.

“She’s dying, isn’t she?” Alexis questioned her father and upon getting no answer from him, she moved to her grandmother, who nodded a little. 

“The healers can fix her, child. They fixed mummy, didn’t they?” Gabriel smiled and took her from Severus’ lap so the potions master could stand and stretch his long legs. “Why don’t you three go to Emilia and say hello? I’ll be there in a little bit.” With that, he left the hallway, heading toward the lobby.

Alexis pulled on her father’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “Daddy, let’s go!” 

Eileen stood as well and held her hand out to her son. “Come Sev, let’s go see your wife.” 

~*****~ 

Emilia Snape was aching. Deep within her bones, her joints, and her muscles, there was an ache that wouldn’t go away. Top that off with the constant beeping of the monitors that floated about the room and the IV drip of low level pain reliever that was flowing into her body, she was very uncomfortable. She wished to be back home with her husband and daughters instead of St. Mungos, but there was little she could do to change that. 

“Mummy!” Alexis came into the room, tugging on Severus’ hand. He tried to rein her in, but he was fighting a losing battle. 

“Alexis Rose, calm down this instant!” Severus’ voice cracked through the air, the bite coming from the lack of sleep and worry for his family. He instantly regretted his actions, for his 10 year old started to sniffle a little, falling into his mother’s chest. 

“Severus, come here.” Emilia croaked from the bed, raising a tube covered hand to him. Severus took her hand and sat on the edge of the bed, clutching her fingers in his own. 

“I thought I had lost you, my love.” Severus kissed her hand repeatedly, willing himself not to cry again. “I can’t wait to get you home again.” 

“Where is Brooke?” Emilia turned her head on the pillow to look at her husband. 

“She is still being worked on. She’ll be alright.” 

“You’re not being honest with me, Severus.” Emilia frowned, her cut covered face contorting into an angry look. 

“She’s suffering from organ failure and unless they can find out what spell has caused the damage, she is going to die.” Severus laid his head next to her shoulder on the bed and fought to breath. 

Alexis approached her father, touching his back. “Daddy, Brooke is going to be alright. Grandpa said that the healers can fix her and we have to believe that.” 

Severus sat up and gathered her in his arms again, pressing kisses to her forehead. “You’re being so brave right now, child.” Severus smiled a watery smile. 

Emilia opened her arms to the girl, who very willing laid down carefully next to her mother. In no time at all, Alexis was back asleep, cuddled into her mother’s side. After about an hour passed, and Gabriel came into the room. 

“Hello,” He greeted everyone tiredly. “Alexis is out cold again, I see. Emilia, how are you feeling?” 

“I’m fine, aside from the complete aching I’m feeling everywhere. But that is to be expected. Why didn’t you come in with everyone else?” 

“Well, I went to the Aurors’ office and threatened to sue for what they did unless one of them gave me a list of every spell fired when they attacked you two. “ 

Severus smiled a little and straightened in the chair he was sitting in. “I have half a mind to sue them for what they did. But now, Brooke can be healed once they find out what spell caused all that damage.” He looked at his wife who was smoothing Alexis’ dark hair off her forehead as she lay reclining on a mountain of pillows. 

“I passed the list onto Healer Johnson, the one who’s in charge of healing her. Now, it’s only a matter of time before we know what’s going on. She said that if Brooke can be placed in a room, she’ll be put in the empty bed right there.” Gabriel gestured to the bed to Emilia’s left.

As he finished speaking to his family, the same healer that spoke to them earlier came into the room. “Brooke is doing much better and we have started to heal her kidneys and liver. The spell didn’t manage to damage any of her other organs, but it’ll be a few hours before we’ll be considering moving her in here, just to be safe. She’ll most likely spend her 24 hour examination period in the ICU.” He smiled at the family. “With all things considered, Brooke and Emilia are very lucky to be alive right now. If Brooke is stable in a few hours, you can go in and see her for a few minutes.” He left after making a note on Emilia’s charts. 

“Oh thank god.” Emilia clutched her heart and smiled, looking at her family around her bedside. “You’ll tell me how’s she’s doing before you leave, right?” 

“Of course, Emilia. I called out of work for tomorrow, so I can take Alexis to school, and I can be here with you and Brooke for the day.” 

“What did I do to deserve you?” Emilia smiled at him brightly, and then rubbed Alexis’ back as she stirred in her sleep. Emilia wanted her to stay asleep for a little longer, and thankfully, the girl simply rolled over and fell back asleep. Severus fixed the tubes to accommodate for the new position his daughter had twisted herself in. 

After a nearly three more hours, Eileen and Gabriel bid them goodbye and promised to get in touch after they both got out of work later. When Emilia fell asleep herself, Severus stayed awake, making sure she was comfortable and that her drip was working, though sleep was creeping into his mind. 

“Mr. Snape?” a woman behind him asked. 

“Yes?” He snapped out of his stupor and gave the healer his full attention. 

“If you wish, you can see your daughter now. She’s stable enough for a few minutes.” She saw his hesitance to leave the two others in the room. “I’ll come back after I bring you there and watch them until you get back.” 

With that, Severus was led to another room, this one made of glass. Inside, his daughter lay, IV drips stuck in her veins and tubes down her throat. Severus’ breath caught in his throat, and he couldn’t believe that the broken girl who lay on the bed covered in tubing was his daughter. It was less than 48 hours since she was brewing with him in the lab, full of laughter when she flung a bat spleen at his head.

Healer Johnson looked up from examining the monitor above his daughter’s head. “Don’t worry Mr. Snape; the breathing tubes are just a precaution. She’s sedated till tomorrow morning when we’ll take the tubes out and she should be able to move into the room with your wife. I expect Brooke to be here about three weeks to 2 months with the damage she sustained in the attack. She will be here for a month for treatment and then she’ll be moved to your home for outpatient treatment, which would be physical therapy. Your wife should be able to go home at the end of the week, as long as there isn’t any more bleeding.” 

Severus nodded numbly, before sitting down to stroke his daughter’s bruised and battered face. She moaned a little and leaned into his hand, making Severus smile. 

“I’ll be outside if you need me.” Healer Johnson left the room with a clipboard in hand, jotting down notes. She shut the door behind her, going to the healer’s station across the hall.

“Oh, love, I’m so sorry… I wish I could have been in that room when they were healing you. Alexis misses you, you know? She’s sleeping right now with your mother, but we’re all so glad you’re alive. We weren’t so convinced you were going to pull through, but I should have known. You never like to make my life easy. Even when you were born, you didn’t cry at first, and you made everyone panic. And then you did, and it was the best sound I’d ever heard, but I should have realized then that you were just stubborn and only do things on your schedule.” Severus held her hand tightly. 

“I love you so much, Brooke. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He smoothed her blood soaked hair back and kissed her forehead. “I’m just so happy you’re okay, child. You’re going to be okay and even though you’re going to miss a few weeks of term, I don’t care. You could be stuck here till Christmas and I wouldn’t be angry, as long as you come home afterward.” He heard another moan like sound, even though her eyes were closed and she seemed to be in a medicated sleep. 

“And I’m sure your mother will agree, but you can have whatever it is you want, as long as you come home okay with all your organs working properly. God, I wasn’t sure you were going to live…” he trailed off and a few tears dripped down his face, landing on her hand. After nearly 30 seconds, Severus felt his daughter gently squeeze his fingers, very slowly in reality, but it showed Severus she was alive and was going to make it. 

Brooke had been born premature, and while she had been fine at birth, she started to go downhill has the night worn on. Severus remembered sitting in the NICU of the same building he was in now, reading stories to his infant daughter as she lay in her incubator and with him in a full set of scrubs. Severus would stick his hand in the hole made for that purpose, and let her hold his index finger in her grasp, Brooke squeezing the glove covered phalange over and over for hours. He remembered James Potter walking by with Harry on one arm and taunting him for his child not being as strong as his, but Severus didn’t care, as long as his daughter had ten fingers and ten toes, and had lungs that inflated normally. And when she was finally able to come home, Severus never let her out of his sight, and the only time Brooke was out of his arms for nearly a month was when his wife was breastfeeding her or when they were changing her diapers. Brooke had slept on his chest for the first four months of her life and because of that, she disliked her crib, preferring to be held by her father when she went to sleep.

He sat with her until Healer Johnson came in and told him Brooke had to rest. Severus pressed one last kiss on her forehead and then left the room. As he passed the Healer, she clapped a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him. 

“She’s a fighter, I’ll give her that. There were a few times I thought we were going to lose her, but she bounced back enough for us to not be too fearful. Brooke’s organs are starting to heal and they should be fine by morning, however, there are some other concerns I have. If you could come in my office, we can discuss them further.” 

Severus followed the woman to her office, where he sat down across from her. “What else is wrong?” 

“Her leg is snapped like a toothpick, and it looks like one of the Aurors broke it with their foot, it looks like someone had stomped on it till it cracked. We need to set that properly and she’s going to need physical therapy once it’s healed.” Healer Johnson pulled out more papers and other charts. “Her brain is swollen and we’re working to correct that, but that’s spell damage. With the list Mr. Andrews gave us, we should be able to reverse it, starting tonight. On top of that, she appears to have fallen down several stairs, and four ribs are cracked, resulting in damage in her right lung. That’s why she’s on the ventilator.” 

Severus took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “When is the soonest she will be able to go home?” 

“I’m saying a month, though depending on how well she responds to treatment, it could be sooner. I’m not going to lie to you, Mr. Snape. The only other time I have seen damage such as this was in a car accident and not one person survived. Not one person made it to the stage your daughter is in. That’s an excellent sign that she’s going to be okay.”

As the words left her mouth, another healer came into the room frantic. “Brooke’s coding, Healer Johnson.” The young man took off, grabbing others as he went. Healer Johnson left, with Severus hot on her heels. 

“Mr., Snape, you can’t come in but you can stay outside the room.” With that, the woman entered the glass room, wand in hand. 

Severus watched as a team of healers waved their wands over his daughter, poured potions into her veins, his heart racing. When Healer Johnson started CPR, Severus could watch no more and he ran out of St. Mungo’s. Going to the back of the building, he cast a privacy charm and screamed for what felt like hours, unable to stop himself. His daughter was doing okay but now she was dying and there was nothing he could do. 

Eventually he went back into the hospital and went to his wife’s room where Healer Johnson was checking his wife over. The Healer smiled when she saw him. 

“Brooke is okay, Mr. Snape. One of her IVs containing her healing potion came dislodged and her body panicked. We got her heart going at a normal pace again and she’s reconnected to her potions, so she should be stable for the remainder of the night. We started treating the swelling of her brain and I set her leg while I was there, so if all goes well with no more hiccups, Brooke could leave early, though she will be here longer than your wife.” 

Severus wiped his hand over his face, sinking into the chair he had vacated only an hour before. His daughter was going to be alright, and she would be able to leave before the month was out, given that she healed correctly. 

“Has Emilia’s bleeding returned?” Severus asked quietly, trying not to sound weak, even though he knew that Healer Johnson had without doubt seen husbands and fathers break down in tears every day. 

“No, Mr. Snape. She should be fine before the week is out.” Healer Johnson left the room with a smile. 

Severus stayed seated, remaining quiet while Alexis and Emilia slept for nearly 5 more hours. When the clock chimed 8 am, Severus gently woke his daughter, who in turn, wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. He lifted Alexis and placed her on the ground, where she yawned heavily, leaning into his stomach.

“Daddy, Mummy and Brooke are going to be okay now, right?” Alexis looked up at his face. 

“Yes, child, they’re going to be fine.” Severus leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Now we have to get you home and ready for school, which starts in an hour.” 

“Daddy, I want to stay here with you and Mummy.” Alexis whined a little while Severus led her from the room. 

“Alexis, I am very tired and I’m not in the mood for whining. You need to go to school, and once you’re done, I’ll get you home and after dinner we’ll come back and visit.” Severus had an arm around her shoulders, and they went through the floo together. 

“But Daddy, I don’t want to!” Alexis stomped her foot once they got to their home. 

“Alexis Rose, if you don’t want to go to school with a warmed backside, I would go to your bedroom and get changed.” 

“But Daddy, I want to go back to the hospital with you now! I don’t wanna go to school! School is stupid when Mummy and Brooke are in the hospital.” She crossed her arms and stomped her foot again, glaring at the potions master. 

Severus leaned down and grasped her arm. “Go to your bedroom now, young lady.” He pushed her toward the stairs and smacked the seat of her jeans hard. When she looked back at him shocked and with teary eyes, Severus crossed his arms. “I don’t want to hear it, Alexis. Go get changed or I’ll put you over my knee. I don’t have a problem sending you to class with a warm bottom.”

Alexis sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Severus usually only spanked her and her sister for putting themselves in danger or for breaking many of the house rules in one day. Even then, he never sent them to school after a punishment, unless it was grounding. But she wasn’t going to push it, especially not after what had happened with her mother and sister.

She came downstairs changed, with her hair and teeth brushed. She approached her father with her brush and hair ties, silently asking him to braid her hair. Once her hair was done, Severus called for her to come into the kitchen, where he had breakfast laid out for her. 

“Daddy, I’m sorry for being a brat. I just want to be with Mummy…” Alexis sat down and started eating. 

“It’s alright, but I need you to understand you can’t have everything your way. But I meant what I said; throw another tantrum like that again, especially while your mother and sister are in the hospital, and I will not hesitate to take you over my knee if you get that cheeky with me again.” 

“Yes Daddy.” Alexis shoveled more eggs into her mouth while Severus sipped some of the coffee in his mug. “Daddy, can I come home after lunchtime?” Severus raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“No, Alexis. You’re going to stay in school till 3:30 like everyone else. I’ll come get you and we’ll have dinner here before we go see your mother again.” 

“When can I see Brooke?” Alexis picked her plate up and placed it in the sink. 

“If she’s been moved into the room with your mother then you can see her. Right now, I am the only one allowed to see her.” 

“But why?” Alexis couldn’t help but whine a little, but stopped talking when Severus gave her a look. Taking a large gulp of milk, Alexis tried to avoid her father’s harsh gaze, hoping to prevent any punishment. 

“I am the only one allowed to see her because I said so. When she is moved, you can see her.” Severus opened the refrigerator after he finished his coffee and pulled out sandwich stuffs. Assembling and bagging a turkey and cheese for Alexis, Severus put that and an assortment of snacks and an apple in her lunch box. “Grab your backpack, put this in there and put your shoes on.” He handed her the pink insolated bag. He filled her water bottle with ice and filtered water and handed that off too.

Once she was ready, Severus ushered her into the floo, calling the address of the school. With a flash of green, the two were sucked into the floo network, and deposited in the main foyer of the school. 

“Daddy, do I really have to go?” Alexis took hold of his hand after he fixed the straps of her backpack. 

“Yes, Alexis. You’ll be fine and I’ll be right here at 3:30 to pick you up. We will then go back to the house and you will do any homework you get and we will eat dinner. Then, we will go and visit your mother.” He led her to her classroom, where he signed her in, writing her name on the clipboard that hung on the door. 

“Hello Alexis! I hope you’ve had a pleasant morning!” Alexis’ teacher, Ms. Rutledge greeted her at the door with a smile. When Alexis refused to let go of her father’s hand, she frowned. “What’s wrong, Alexis?” She looked at Severus for answers. 

“My wife and eldest daughter were attacked in our home two days ago. They’re both in the hospital now, but Alexis wants to go back to be with her mother. Brooke is still in ICU, but should be moved soon. Alexis wants to be there when she does” Severus frowned a little when Alexis wrapped herself around his torso.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. Well, Alexis, I’m glad you still came to class. I’m sure they’ll both be fine.” Ms. Rutledge smiled kindly at the girl. 

Alexis looked up at her father with large eyes. “Daddy, I wanna go home.” Her lip quivered a little. 

Severus sighed and crouched a little so he could look in her eyes. “Love, I know you want to stay with your mum, but I’m not even going back until after dinner. Even if you didn’t go to school, you wouldn’t be there with her.” He brushed back the unruly strands that popped out of her braids. “Go learn something, alright?”He kissed her forehead softly. 

“Yes Daddy…” She trailed off as she released him before shuffling into the classroom. Severus watched her stow her bag in the cubbies all the students put their bags in and sit heavily in her chair through the door. He frowned a little, rubbing a hand on his face.

“She’ll be alright, Mr. Snape. Once class starts, I’m sure her mind will be at ease.” Ms. Rutledge smiled at the potions master. 

“I hope so too.” With that, he bid her goodbye and stepped into the floo, returning to his home. Severus sighed, and then went up the stairs to his bedroom, where he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt. Wiping a hand over his face, Severus reached into his top dresser drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Lighting one, he took a long drag as he opened the bedroom window to blow the smoke out of. He rarely smoked, but indulged once in a while when he was stressed. Emilia hated that he even had one every few weeks, even though when they were dating, he was a chain smoker and went through at least two packs a day.

Extinguishing the cigarette, he banished the ashes and butt and put away the pack before pulling back the covers. Setting an alarm for 3pm, he collapsed on his bed, falling into a much needed sleep.

~*****~

Upon hearing a harsh beeping, Severus sat up quickly, looking around for the cause of the noise. Once he realized the alarm clock was the cause of the noise, he turned it off and dressed, knowing he had to pick Alexis up from school. Severus and Emilia knew that Alexis hated going to school all year long, but with the two parents working from 8 to 6 every day and with Brooke not having the patience to babysit as she got older, the two adults were grateful that Early Wizard’s Academy ran all year. Both girls had gone, and there they had learned about magic, how to read and write and how to do math. The school ran till the students turned 11, when they were able to go to Hogwarts. 

But when Brooke went to Hogwarts for the first time, the parents were at a loss of what to do when she came home for the summer. Severus had taken to bringing her to the ministry where he worked during the summer months in the Misuse of potions and potions patents office. Brooke stayed with him three days a week, and the other two were spent with Emilia at her job in the Muggle relations office where she integrated muggle technology into the Wizarding world. Alexis was only 6, and could continue her education at Early Wizard’s Academy. But in August, which was fast approaching, she turned 11. Then, Brooke would have to babysit in the summer after Alexis’ first year or Severus and Emilia would have to take her to work with them. Brooke had already turned 15, and was entering her 5th year at Hogwarts. 

When Severus entered the school and stood outside the door with the other parents, he stood near the wall, slightly away from them all. Emilia usually picked Alexis up from school, and Severus refused to make friends with the other parents, unlike his wife.

The 3:30 bell rang and the door to his daughter’s classroom burst open with children streaming out to find their parents. Severus noticed that his daughter was not one of the children, and he entered the room to find his child still seated at her desk. 

“Mr. Snape, may I have a word with you?” Ms. Rutledge asked, standing up from her desk. 

“Of course. What’s the matter?” Severus furrowed his brow, clearly confused. 

“Alexis got into a fight today with one of her classmates.” She ran a hand through her hair. “In her defense, Daniel wasn’t being too appreciative of her wanting space and kept agitating her. However, that doesn’t excuse Alexis punching him in the eye.” 

Severus groaned a little and tried to breathe evenly. He knew how Alexis was feeling, but he was very angry with her.

“Thank you for informing me.” Severus picked up his daughter’s bag and shouldered it. “I’m sure she apologized to this Daniel?” 

“That’s the thing. She hasn’t spoken since I made her stay inside during recess. She refused to apologize until he apologized to her for invading her space.” She smiled a little, but quickly bit it back. 

“I see. Well, I’m sure she’ll apologize tomorrow morning then.” He looked at his child, who was staring at her desk top. “Alexis, come here.” 

When she didn’t move, Severus yanked her to her feet by her arm. Biding Ms. Rutledge goodbye, Severus took Alexis home. Sitting her on the couch, Severus placed her bag on the hook and emptied her lunch box, putting everything away. When he was finished, he began to pace, trying not to take her over his knee prematurely. He wanted the full story before levying a punishment, even though he knew there had to be one.

“Alexis, I’ve never been more disappointed in you. You certainly know better to strike another student. I don’t care what the reason is. I have half a mind to not let you go visit your mother after dinner. Why did you punch him?” He crossed his arms and stared at the girl, who had tears running down her face. 

She remained silent, making Severus huff and grab her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Young lady, if you don’t want your bottom warmed right now, you’ll tell me why you felt it necessary to punch another student in the face.” 

When she still kept her mouth shut, Severus sat down next to her, and took hold of her wrist, pulling her up over his lap. She squirmed around, but Severus held on tightly, landing a firm smack on her backside. 

“Stop Daddy, please!” She fought even more and when a second and third blow landed on the seat of her jeans, she finally cried out, “Daddy, please, stop! I’ll talk, please stop!” 

Severus flipped her back over and placed her on the couch next to him, giving her a harsh look. “Alexis, I shouldn’t have to spank you to get you to answer my questions. You should know better than that by now. And I would think you would have been behaving with your mother and sister in the hospital.” 

“Yes sir, I understand.” She hung her head. “I didn’t mean to punch him, honest.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the incident. “Daniel was bugging me about why you dropped me off and not Mummy, and when I asked him to leave me alone, he didn’t. I even asked Ms. Rutledge to make him go away, but he wouldn’t listen to her. He started throwing things at me across the room and everyone was laughing at me… so when he passed me to go sharpen his pencil and he threw another ad of paper at me, I punched him.” 

Severus sighed. “I should wallop your backside for this, you know. You should be counting your lucky stars that I am not my father, Alexis. If I had pulled a stunt like that at your age, I wouldn’t be sitting for a month.” He pulled her to lean into his chest. “However, I think a weekend in your room will do. You can come with me to see your mother tonight, but tomorrow through Sunday, you’re going to be here.”

“Are you going to spank me again?” she whispered, hoping he wouldn’t, even though the last time Brooke had fought another girl, Severus took a wooden spoon to her bare bottom, and Brooke had been 14 when that had happened. Alexis knew it was a real possibility. 

Severus pulled her a little more into him so her backside was off the sofa. Even at the awkward angle, he still managed two more light swats to her backside. “There, five swats. Do you feel better now?” He laughed a little at her scowling face as she rubbed her bottom. I’m not going to beat you, love, but you can’t be fighting.” 

“Yes Daddy.” She rubbed her bottom, even though it really didn’t hurt that much. 

“If you have homework, go do it now while I start dinner.” Severus kissed her forehead, before standing up and walking to the kitchen. “How does pork chops sound? With mashed potatoes on the side?” 

“Can I help?” Alexis wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve and then unpacked her bag on the kitchen table. 

“You can help me by doing your homework.” Severus pulled a few pans out of the cabinet. “What do you have to do?” 

Alexis opened her folder and pulled out her pencil case. “I have reading and some math. I finished the rest of my homework when I wasn’t able to go to recess.” 

“I see.” He placed the pork chops in the pan along with some oil. “Do you have to read aloud?” 

“Yeah, for 20 minutes.” Alexis pulled out her book and laid it on the table. Sitting at the table, she started scratching away at her math problems and the kitchen was silent except with the sound of her pencil scratching and the sound of dinner cooking.

“Daddy?” Alexis put her math papers in her folder and returned the folder to her backpack.

“Yes, child?” Severus flipped a pork chop. 

“Am I really grounded?” she bit her lip and frowned. 

“Yes, you are. Your sister didn’t get away with fighting last year. And if you want, you can have the same punishment she did. Not only will you be grounded, but you won’t have to worry about your backside getting cold.” 

She sighed, and then took out her book and opened it to the marked page. As her father finished cooking, Alexis read to her father, stumbling over only a few words. Severus gently corrected her as he plated the meal and by the time she had finished reading, Severus had set the table and served dinner.

“Go put your bag away, empty your lunch box of everything and wash up before you come back.” Severus poured milk into a cup and placed it next to his daughter’s plate. He waved his wand and set the dishes to wash and put themselves away. He had just finished cutting Alexis’ pork chop up into pieces when she returned. 

“Daddy, how come you always cut my food for me?” she asked, drying her hands on her jeans.

“Reflex, I suppose, from when you couldn’t.” He laughed a little. “Now, eat up if you want to see your mum before bed.

“You don’t do it for Brooke though.” Alexis ate a bite of mashed potatoes and washed them down with her milk. “How come I still have to have milk? Brooke doesn’t have to.” 

“Brooke eats most meals in the Great Hall and your mother and I cannot monitor what she eats or drinks there. And when she’s here, she mostly has water.” Severus ate a bite himself. 

When they were both done, Severus cleared the table and Alexis prepared to leave for the hospital. She put her shoes on and waited on the couch for her father to change into fresh clothes. “Daddy, do you think Brooke has been moved?” 

“I don’t know, love. Hopefully she will be, but she might not. She hasn’t gotten worse or else I would have gotten a letter from the hospital.” Severus went up the stairs to change out of the robes he had on.

When the two flooed to the hospital, they walked quickly to Emilia’s suite. She was propped up on pillows and the young healer who had been telling Severus the news about his family was clearing a tray from in front of Emilia. 

“Hello, darling, did you have a good day at school?” Emilia smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter when she climbed on the bed. 

“I punched a boy in the face today, Mummy…” Alexis looked down at her lap shamefully. 

“Alexis Rose! You know better than that!” She looked at her husband. “I assume you punished her?” 

“She’s grounded for the weekend. So, this is the last visit she gets until Monday night.” Severus crossed his arms and looked at her drooped head. 

“Good. Alexis, you can’t go around punching people. Daddy and I defiantly raised you better.” Emilia said sternly, glaring at her daughter.

“Yes, Mummy.” Alexis sighed before she squeaked when her mother dragged her backwards into her chest. 

The three had been together for nearly an hour before the doors to the suite were held open and two healers came in, wheeling a bed inside. On it, Brooke lay, hooked up to drips and muggle medical equipment which was carried in by other Healers. Brooke cracked her eyes open and smiled a little at her family before closing them again. The large tubes had been taken out of her throat, but a thin tube was stuck under her nose, pumping her oxygen. 

Healer Johnson came in, holding a clipboard. “Mr. Snape, it’s good to see you more refreshed than you were a few hours ago. Brooke is well enough to be in here. She’s stable and healing, but very tired.” 

“Maybe if you weren’t pumping me full of calming draught, I wouldn’t be.” Brooke croaked from the bed, her voice barely audible. 

Severus and his wife smiled at the feeble voice, remembering the feeling of a few hours ago when she was close to death. The very fact that she could talk reminded them that she was on the mend, even though she was barely able to do so.

“Your heart needs a break, Brooke. We talked about this on the way here. Now, she’s responding well to the potions, but her lung is still a little… deflated is the only way I can describe it. It should be fine by the end of the week and she will no longer need the oxygen. Her brain is no longer swollen, but I’m sure she feels a little off from the spell damage reversal.” Healer Johnson smiled at the girl who gave her the finger. She tiredly dropped her hand down on the mattress as though the effort exhausted her.

“Brooke Eileen, that is not appropriate!” Severus scolded mildly. 

“It’s alright, Mr. Snape. While I was healing her leg and brain, she told me multiple times to… what was it again? Oh yes, to go fuck myself.” She laughed. “It’s fine, I actually expected her to curse and to possibly hit me. It’s perfectly normal with the spells we have to use for our patients to be a little mouthy.” 

Emilia gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. The two parents looked at their battered daughter, who apparently had fallen asleep. 

“She’s going to be doing a lot of sleeping for the next few weeks. Make sure if she does fall asleep, you leave her be. She needs the unmediated rest. In the upcoming weeks, we can start her physical therapy, but I don’t expect her to be able to start school until mid September at least.” 

Severus nodded, before going over to his daughter and sitting beside her. He smiled at her sleeping form, enjoying her not hooked up to a ventilator. 

“Daddy, is she going to be alright?” Alexis whispered from the bed where she was still sitting with her mother. 

 

“Yes, love. She’s going to be fine.” 

~*****~

When Severus came to see the two in the hospital on Saturday, Brooke was propped up on several pillows while her mother was still asleep. She placed her book down on her lap when her father approached, smiling a little when he sat next to her. 

“How are you feeling?” Severus kissed her temple. 

“Alright, but these IVs are really starting to itch. I don’t know why.” She scratched at the tape holding the needle down. 

“Your skin is just overly sensitive from the healing potions. If it doesn’t stop after Tuesday, tell Healer Johnson and we’ll see what we can do.” 

“Healer Johnson was telling me how I’m going to miss a few weeks of school. Do you think the other professors will mind?” Brooke nibbled on her bruised lower lip, hoping her father wouldn’t give bad news. 

“I think they’ll understand the situation. After all, you almost died. They cannot expect you to be able to return and perform academically to the best of your ability.” He moved the wisps of hair from her forehead. “I’ve written to them and so far, Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall send their regards and do not expect you to return until October.” 

“Will I at least be able to study? I don’t want to get too far behind.” Brooke toyed with the strings that dangled from the hospital blanket. 

“We’ll have to see as you get stronger. Healer Johnson said you should be here for at least a month, but you could be home sooner depending on your response to treatment. Then you will have to be in outpatient, having physical therapy.” Severus smiled at her. “You’re alive, love. That’s all that should matter. I will tutor you myself if I have to get you up to speed. But I won’t start until September. That gives you the month of August to just rest and heal. After all, you already finished your summer homework.” 

“Okay,” Brooke opened her book again, her eyes darting across the pages. “What if I can’t keep up? What if I can’t pass my classes and fail 5th year?” 

“Then you will repeat your 5th year. Child, I don’t want you to worry about this. You are incredibly bright and you know as well as I that you have the ability to pass your classes.” 

Brooke glanced at her mother when she rolled over in her sleep. “Would you and Mum be disappointed if I failed?” 

“Well, naturally, yes, a little bit. But we would understand that this summer hasn’t been the best with the fact that you were nearly killed in your own home.” Severus smiled a little, trying to mask the pain of what he had just vocalized. His voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat, drawing Brooke’s attention to the fact that his eyes were decidable wet. 

She then turned the subject on something else. “Why isn’t Alexis here?” Her sister had been so excited to see her the night before. Brooke had been woken by fingers on her face right before her father and sister left for the night. 

“She got in a spot of trouble and is grounded for the weekend.” 

“What did she do?” Brooke sniggered a little, wondering what her kid sister could have gotten herself into. 

“She punched a boy in the face for bothering her. A Daniel Clark, if I’m not mistaken.” Severus pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before he was shocked by his daughter wheezing a laugh. 

“Daniel Clark? That boy is a toss pop! He deserved to be punched. His brother isn’t much better!” Brooke doubled over and started snorting. “Why is she being punished? That’s brill what she did! Get her here so I can congratulate her.” 

Severus was shocked to say the least. His daughter had never said that she hated the boy, but it didn’t surprise him if she actually did. Daniel’s brother Ryan had dipped Brooke’s hair in ink when they were 12. Brooke had never forgiven the boy and had gotten revenge by tipping the boy’s shrinking solution on him. Severus hadn’t seen it and therefore he had been unable to punish his daughter. Furthermore, the children in her class had said that Brooke had not knocked the cauldron over so he had been unable to give her detention. He did, however, take ten house points for her loud laughter at the boy’s misfortune. 

“She’s grounded, Brooke. Just like you were when you punched Ms. Brown last year. I don’t stand for violence in my household.” 

“I almost died, Dad and she isn’t allowed to come and visit me? Also, I’m bored out of my mind. Mom has been sleeping all day and the only thing I had to look forward to today was Healer Adams washing the blood out of my hair. I’m dying here, Dad.” 

“Don’t even joke about that, Brooke. I’m not having you joke about this.” Severus crossed his arms and gave her a dirty look. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Brooke shook her head. She hadn’t realized what effect her words would have on her father. 

Emilia stirred, before finally waking up. She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. “Hello, Love.” She smiled a little, accepting the kiss from her husband when he moved over to her side. “How’s Alexis?” 

“Bored out of her mind in her room if she knows what’s good for her.” Severus chuckled a little. “My mother is watching her and you both know how she is with discipline.”

Brooke hid her smile behind her fingers, laughing at the idea that her sister was stuck with Eileen. Her parents gave her a look and Brooke quickly clammed up. 

Just in time, at least in Brooke’s opinion, Healer Johnson came in and took both her and her mother’s vitals, diverting the attention from her for a little while. Severus shook his head at his child, who was begging the healer to allow her to return to school September first, though to his great relief, Healer Johnson was unwavering. Brooke then rolled over to face the wall, ignoring everyone around her. 

~*****~

Severus left a few hours later, kissing his wife and child goodbye, promising to return the next day. Stepping into the hall, he moved quickly to the public floo, hoping to get home before his mother forced his youngest to go to bed. 

He left the floo in his own home, removing his robes and fixing his cufflinks. He saw his mother sitting in his favorite armchair, knitting a large afghan in red and gold. 

“How was she?” Severus sat next to her on the ottoman after moving her basket of yarn and supplies. 

“A little moody, but otherwise behaved. She wanted me to get you to come home early, but obviously I didn’t even try.” Eileen counted her stitches, moving the lamp to better see the blanket. 

“Is she still awake?” Severus sighed, wiping a hand over his face. He had wished that she would have been a little better behaved and kept her mouth shut. He knew that she would sass his grandmother until she lost her temper, and he knew his youngest, who unfortunately was just like him temperwise. 

“Yes she is, but Severus, be kind to her. She thinks that her sister and mother aren’t going to make it home. When she left the hospital, her sister wasn’t awake for very long. Emilia’s organs were bleeding for hours and Brooke’s organs were failing. She doesn’t understand exactly what’s going on.” Eileen looked up at him over her glasses. 

“Are you still going to be here when I come down?” Severus stood and then his mother packed up her knitting. 

“No, love. I need to get home. I’ve been away for too long as it is. Gabriel fears Tobias will try to find me if I’m away too long.” Eileen laughed. “I’m surprised your stepfather hasn’t tried to use a tracking spell on me to make sure I’m going where I say I am.” 

“He could do what Tobias did and follow you for hours.” Severus muttered bitterly. 

“Now, enough of that, Sev. Tobias was bitter and jealous. He’s not in our life anymore and that’s how it should be. That’s how it should have been when you were growing up… I’m sorry, love.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she buried her face into her hands. 

Severus hugged his mother tightly, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. He knew she felt guilty for allowing his father to remain in the house for as long as she had, but the two years he spent at Hogwarts before she threw Tobias out, and she very literally threw him out, using her wand to blow him and all his belongings onto the street, were the best he ever had. When he returned to Spinner’s End for the summer going into his third year, he was shocked to see a new porch and the house with fresh paint for the first time in years. All the old furniture had been sold with the exception of Severus’ bedroom and there was new furniture in the house. Severus opted to sell his things too and purchase a new bedroom set, this one made of handsome wood. 

Eileen had torn up the backyard and created a back garden and patio. Tobias hadn’t allowed her to brew or do magic in the home and she was taking great joy in growing her potions ingredients alongside her tomatoes and cucumbers. Severus and Lily had done their summer homework at the Snape household for the first time ever that summer on the patio, with Eileen bringing them snacks and lemonade for the duration of their study time. 

With Tobias gone, Eileen had been reinstated into the Prince family, therefore giving her plenty of money to raise her son in comfort. Her and his skin color was no longer pallid and sallow, but a healthy shade of pale. She could afford to feed him healthy foods and plenty of them and they no longer saw all their money going to beer and vodka. 

When Eileen started working for the Ministry she had met Gabriel. He was her age and they had begun as friends, with Eileen bringing him over for dinner on the weekends. Severus had been 14 when they married. Gabriel had three children Severus’ age and they all went to Hogwarts at the same time as the young Slytherin boy. Two girls and boy came to live in the Snape household along with Gabriel, as he only lived in a three bedroom apartment that was barely big enough to fit the four that lived there. 

Eileen had expanded the inside of the Spinner’s end home; making sure every child had their own bedroom. Severus had asked his mother to expand his room, and she did gladly. Severus was accepting of the new children in the house, even though he was no longer the oldest child. His step sister, Megan was 15 and a Ravenclaw and she was a prefect to boot. Then came Severus at 14. The other boy, Eric, was 13 and a Gryffindor and then the youngest daughter, Heather, was starting Hogwarts when Severus was entering his fourth year. 

The family was content and for once, Severus didn’t mind going home for the summer. Lily liked his new siblings and they all got along. Gabriel and Eileen took all of them to the beach for weeks at a time, and they allowed all the children to bring their friends as long as the friends got along with the other children. With these trips, Severus made new friends in other houses, and they actually liked him for him, regardless of the house he was in. When James and his friends bullied him, his siblings came to his aid, or their friends did. The odds were no longer four to one, but eight to four. Sometimes there were more and even the prefects defended the Slytherin boy, due to Megan being a prefect. 

There was a room in Hogwarts designated for Prefects only, however, Megan had gotten permission to allow her family and friends to be in there with her. They did their homework and hung out together, making a group that still spent time together in their adulthood. 

“Mum, you’re fine. Everything is fine now. I hold no grudges against you. You did what you had to do to give me the life you could.” Severus rubbed her back. “Go home; get a good night’s sleep. Emilia wants you to come to the hospital tomorrow. Tell Megan, Eric and Heather to come and see their niece too. They could use all the visitors they can get. Brooke’s bored out of her mind.” 

Eileen smiled a little and wiped her eyes after she released her son. She collected her things and left in the floo with promises to return tomorrow. 

Severus trudged up the stairs and stopped just before his daughter’s room. He really didn’t want to have her be cheeky with him right now, which she was bound to be. She never took her punishments well. 

Opening the door, Severus entered and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know you’re awake, Alexis. Stop the act.” 

Dark eyes peeked over the edge of her covers, followed by the rest of the face. “I tried to sleep, Daddy, honest.” 

“Mhmm. And I was born yesterday.” Severus rolled his eyes. “I could hear you moving around through the floorboards.” 

Alexis looked down at the blankets. Severus shook his head and gestured for her to lie down. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here in the morning.” He kissed her forehead. “Maybe tomorrow, I can get your Aunt Megan, Aunt Heather, and Uncle Eric to come and see you tomorrow. I’m unsure if they’re coming to see your sister, but after that they might come here.” 

Alexis’ face broke into a true smile and she sat up to kiss her father on the cheek. “Goodnight Daddy.” 

“Goodnight, love.”


	2. Home Bound

Brooke looked up from her book when the young interns came in with trays of food. She sighed and ignored the two, not interested in the mush that she was being served. She barely moved her book when the tray was placed on the bed in front of her, and the girl refused to eat the hospital food. When Healer Johnson walked in, Brooke avoided her eyes, knowing that she should be eating the nasty gray pile of… she supposed it was oatmeal, but the smell of it was enough to make her sick. Brooke would rather go hungry than eat what resembled the armadillo bile she used in potions.

"Brooke, you won't be discharged any sooner if you don't eat." Healer Johnson walked over to the girl and frowned a little. "I know it's not ideal, but if you can keep this down, then for lunch we'll bring you whatever you request."

Brooke glared at the Healer and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's disgusting. I'd rather go hungry."

"You haven't even tried it yet. It tastes far better than it smells. And it has some of your nutritional potions in it. I'm sure you remember me telling you about them when we were bringing you over here the other day."

Brooke picked up her spoon and poked at the mush before putting a small spoonful in her mouth. She gagged a little on the food, and she quickly dropped the spoon onto the tray. Thankfully for her, Healer Johnson was bent over her mother and didn't see her reaction. Brooke played with the mush until the Healer left, at which point she pushed it away and picked up her book again. Her mother looked up from her own meal and gave her daughter a pointed look.

"Darling, you need to eat. Put the book down and have your breakfast." Emilia pointed her own spoon at the girl who pointedly ignored her, flipping her page.

After reading three pages, Brooke felt the text slip from her fingers and she looked up in shock, staring right into her father's dark black eyes.

"I don't think this is eating, young lady." Severus sat by her mother, taking her book with him. "You can have this back when you're done."

Brooke felt like crying. She rarely ate breakfast as it was, and in here, the food was vile. Dinner wasn't much better, but at least it didn't smell rank. "I don't want to." Her voice was quiet and a little broken. Severus was a little shocked, but he knew his daughter, and when she wasn't feeling her best, she tended to not eat and to shy away from everyone, including himself and Emilia.

Severus laid her book on his wife's bed and moved over to sit next to her. "You have to eat something, love." He tried handing her the bowl, a little worried when she pushed it away. "Brooke, this isn't up for debate."

After nearly ten minutes of back and forth, Healer Johnson returned to find that Emilia had eaten, but Severus was still trying to get her to start.

"Brooke, I swear to Merlin if you don't eat…" He put the bowl down and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why hasn't Brooke eaten?" The normally kind healer was stern, and Brooke wrapped her arms around herself, twisting the tubes around her body accidently.

"Ow, ow, ow," She quickly unfolded her arms as the needles pulled at her skin. Severus held her hands still as Healer Johnson gave her a disapproving look.

"Brooke, I'm going to be honest with you. If you don't eat, we're going to put a feeding tube in you, and that prolongs your stay by at least three weeks."

Brooke sniffled, and Severus sighed when fat tears rolled down her face. He knew she wasn't in pain, for the pain potion she was prescribed was dripping into her veins. So he didn't feel too bad for her.

"Is there any way that she can eat something else?" Emilia quipped from her bed. "Is there anything else she can have that you can add her potions to? Severus' mother usually cooks for her when she's sick. She won't really eat anything that's not made by Eileen."

Healer Johnson considered the point. "As long as the food is easy on the stomach, I'm willing to try. She needs to eat something by tomorrow morning the very latest, or we're putting a feeding tube in her stomach. Emilia, by the way, if you don't start bleeding again, we are planning on discharging you Thursday morning at ten AM." With that, the woman left, checking her clipboard for her other patients.

Severus brushed his daughter's hair out of her face, looking at the tear stained skin. "Would you eat your grandmother's food?"

Brooke sniffled again, before she nodded a little. "I'll try… I just don't want to eat that garbage." She pushed the bowl even farther away from her, causing it to nearly fall off the tray before her.

Severus got the bowl from the tray and laid it in the basin by the door for dirty dishes. After kissing his wife and daughter, the potions master left the room, striding to the public floos to go to his home.

"Mum?" Severus travelled into the house, searching each room for the woman. Poking his head into the library, he saw her knitting the same blanket she had been the night before.

"Hello Mum. Has Alexis been a bother?" Severus sat on the couch next to her and pecked her cheek.

"Hello darling. She's been in a snit since I made her stay in her room after breakfast." Eileen made a face and with an annoyed attitude, counted her red stitches before starting on the gold stripe.

Severus sighed. "Did you say anything to her about her behavior?"

Eileen shook her head. "No, I came in here before I took that wooden spoon in the kitchen to her backside. I'm an old woman, and at least when I watch Brooke when she's grounded, that girl has enough sense in her head to stay out of trouble and to not be a brat when she's being punished."

Severus laughed. "You forget about Brooke's horrible behavior last year after she beat Lavender Brown to a pulp. I get that Brooke was upset for Ms. Brown using her makeup and wearing her clothes without asking, but that girl didn't need to beat her into near unconsciousness."

Eileen smirked down at the blanket. "I seem to recall you doing the same thing when you dipped Megan's hair in ink when she accidently ripped your potions book. I don't think I ever padded your behind that hard in my life."

Severus cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "Anyways, I'm going to talk to Alexis about behavior. In the meantime, can you make Brooke something to eat for breakfast? It needs to be easy on her stomach however."

"Are they not feeding her there?" Eileen started to put her knitting in the basket, standing to walk to the kitchen.

"They are, she's just not eating it." Severus heaved himself to his feet and started walking toward the stairs. "You know how picky she is."

Eileen laughed as she entered the kitchen, placing pans on the stove. Severus went up the stairs and went to his youngest daughter's room, where he heard banging and stomping. Opening the door, Severus' eyes widened at the mess she had created. Alexis' clothes were all over her floor, and somehow she had managed to pull her bookcase over, books spilling all over the rug as well. There was a mirror she had knocked over, glass all over the floor, and it crunched under Severus' shoes. He heard a rushing of water, and turning to the bathroom, she had plugged up the sink and tub and water was pouring over the cabinet and the wall of the tub, leaking onto the floor.

"Alexis!" Severus grabbed her by the armpits and placed her on her bed, checking her for injuries. There were scratches from the glass, thin red lines that were welling with blood on her hands. Severus waved his wand and the room was perfectly clean again. Moving to the newly cleaned bathroom, Severus took a cloth and wet it under the facet, and used it to wash out her cuts before sealing them. Once she was righted, he loomed over her with a fury she had only seen once before when she and Brooke had slid off the roof in a cardboard box when they were 8 and 4.

"Would you care to explain why you completely destroyed your bedroom?" Severus crossed his arms and fixed her with a stare, making her squirm on the bed. Alexis picked at her cuticles, making her hands bleed before her father sat next to her and held her hands still with his own. With wandless magic, he healed her bleeding fingers, his eyes never leaving hers'.

"I want an answer, young lady." Severus was patient with his youngest, and he always had been. He knew his wife would have given him a tongue lashing from how he was handling this situation. If Brooke had done this, he would have hauled her over his knee before he asked questions, or at least he did when she was a young child. However, Alexis never snuck into his lab when Severus was napping on the couch and played 'Potions Mistress', resulting in half the basement being blown up. Thankfully Brooke had been thrown backwards into a cabinet that Severus forgot to close properly and when the supports on the ceiling fell where she was moments before, she wasn't killed.

Brooke had cuts on her face and arms, but no broken bones or worse. Severus had never hit his child before this, and he always vowed he would never, but for the first time in the four year olds life, her father had paddled her backside and she couldn't sit for a week. At the same time, her parents had never coddled her so much in the month that followed the accident either. Severus assumed Brooke never understood the terror he and Emilia had felt when the house was shaken from the explosion. Severus had woken to see that the dining room floor had sunken into the basement and racking his brain for what could have caused the damage, until he saw the door to the basement open. He forced Emilia to wait upstairs, for she was pregnant with Alexis at the time, and he rushed down the crumbling stairs to see his daughter stiffly climbing out of the cabinet.

He had grabbed her and carried her up the stairs, going quickly in case the rest of the supports let go and crushed them. Emilia had peppered the girl's face with kisses and had tried to stop Severus from punishing her, saying her fear from the explosion was punishment enough, but Severus gave her 20 swats on her bare bottom, and took her toys away for as long as it took them to rebuild the basement, telling his sobbing daughter that she had destroyed something that Severus liked so she was to lose something that she liked because that was what was fair.

Brooke had never touched a cauldron after that incident till she was 11, and Severus had seen her hesitate when he gave the class instructions to start their boil removing potion. Taking her aside when they all went to get their ingredients, the Potions Master reassured his child that everything would be fine, as long as she followed the instructions. Since then, she had found a love for potions and brewed with Severus every weekend and during the summer for the whole of the time that she was at Hogwarts.

But Alexis was a different child. And each of his children was handled in a different way. Brooke was a child that hardly responded to vocal reprimand. Alexis hated disappointing her parents and just Severus and Emilia telling her they were upset with her made her apologize for hours. However, she had never destroyed her bedroom deliberately. Unfortunately, she had been hurt and as his children got older, he had decided that it wasn't right to spank them for their wrongdoings, unless they hurt others or put themselves in danger or did something just as serious.

However, he rationalized that she hadn't truly meant to knock over the mirror. Her shirt was ripped and it seemed like she passed the mirror and caught her shirt. But she still needed to be punished for destroying her bedroom.

"Alexis, you know what you did was wrong, I don't think I need to lecture you on that." Severus pulled her into his lap. "However, you do need to be punished for this. It was very irresponsible. That's why I'm extending your punishment till your mother comes home on Thursday."

"Daddy!" Alexis gasped, trying not to cry.

"Alexis, I don't want to hear it, you know this was horrible to do. You weren't born when your sister blew up the basement, but-"

"Wait, Brooke blew up the basement?"

"First off, don't interrupt me. Second, yes she did but that's not the point. The point is, when she destroyed the house, I walloped her backside. I'm not going to do that to you, so that means you're getting an extended grounding. You can ask her about it on Friday, when you maybe get to go back to the hospital to see her. However, that depends on your behavior."

Alexis laid her head on her father's shoulder, sniffling a little. "I just miss Mummy and Brooke and I want to see them."

Severus smiled a little, and rocked her slowly, rubbing her back as he did so. "I know, but you can't act out like a toddler. I would expect your cousin Matt to act like this because he's one. I want you to behave for the next four days, or you won't see your sister on Friday." He cradled her head to his shoulder with his hand, smiling as she snuggled closer to him.

"You need to respect your grandmother, as well. She's a little upset that you were bratty today, and I don't blame her." Severus bounced her a little on his knee. "You need to apologize to her later when she calls you down for lunch."

"She probably hates me…" Alexis frowned, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"I don't think she hates you." Severus kissed her head.

"I doubt that. She probably hates me and she's never going to talk to me again." Alexis wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"Oh, child." Severus gave her his handkerchief to wipe her face. "She loves you so much. And between you and me, I've done some worse things and your grandmother still loves me. When I was your age, I climbed on the counters and jumped on the light fixture on the wall in the kitchen. She made sure I couldn't sit for a week. However, she still loves me and she'll love you. What did you do?"

"I told her that her rules were stupid…" Alexis hid her face.

"Oh Alexis, you need to say you're sorry as soon as she calls you down." Severus moved her down onto her mattress and kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to see your mother and sister. I'll be back for dinner." Severus left the room and walked into his bedroom, gathering his wife's books and hairbrush. In Brooke's room, he got her books and her other things on her vanity. Severus went to her desk and opened the drawer on the top, finding her drawing pad and pencils. Under that, there was a photo album and Severus laid the bag in his hand down onto the floor. He sank down into the chair and started flipping through the pages.

There were family photos, photos taken of them all at Christmas and Easter, pictures of them during Matthew's first birthday, and the usual first day photos of his daughters, all of Alexis' from the Early Wizard's Academy and Brooke's were from her time at the Early Wizard's Academy and from her first day from each year at Hogwarts. He smiled at his eldest daughter's first day at the Early Wizard's Academy photo, her backpack as large as she was strapped on her back, and her knees covered in bandages from the fall in the backyard she had taken three days before that first day. Next to that picture, Brooke had pasted her little sister's photo next to her's on the same page and as the father flipped through the pages; he noticed there were the photos of Alexis on the pages that she was the same age as Brooke.

When he reached the pages where Brooke turned eleven, there was space for Alexis' photo, and she would be starting Hogwarts that year. Severus had never seen the picture album and he never knew that Brooke cared so much for her sister. Brooke always complained about her younger sister, and they fought often. However, Alexis loved Brooke and worshipped the girl. Severus packed up the album in the page to bring his daughter.

Shrinking them down to fit in his pocket, he ducked into his daughter's bedroom, where she was sitting on her bed with her head in her hands.

"I'm leaving for the hospital. Do you need anything while I'm gone?" Severus asked.

"No, I'm okay." Alexis looked up at her father and just shook her head.

Severus smiled a little and softly shut the door, leaning against the door jamb after he did so. He felt horrible for having to ground her, but her bedroom was in shambles and it wasn't even with good reason, she just felt like throwing a fit.

Moving down to the kitchen, he sat heavily in a chair, listening to his mother him as she finished scrambling eggs for his daughter.

"Love, have you eaten today?"

Severus was pulled from his stupor, shaking his head no. "I had some coffee this morning, but I didn't have time before I was due at the hospital." He jumped a little when his mother laid a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him, with a mug of Earl Grey.

"Mum, I'm not hungry." Severus tried to push the plate away from him, but she fixed him with a firm stare, making him pick up his fork. After he finished, Severus put his plate in the sink and waved his wand to set the dishes to wash themselves. Before he left, Eileen handed her son the container that held Brooke's breakfast.

"I'll be around to bring lunch around 1. Heather volunteered to make sure Alexis stays in her bedroom till you and I come back."

"You and I?" Severus gave his mother a look.

"Well, I have to make Brooke dinner, don't I" Eileen pecked her child on the cheek and pushed him toward the floo. "Go see your child, Sev. Tell them I'll be round at 1."

"Hi Dad," Brooke laid the piece of parchment down on her table, laying the charcoal on the surface next to it.

"Hello, child. I brought you some things from your room." Severus unpacked his wife's items first and placed them on the shelf near her bed before handing Brooke the rest of the items in the bag. She pulled out the drawing pad and pencils first, and laid them aside with a smile. Severus had put in her hairbrush, toothbrush and her stuffed hippogriff, and she placed them all on her bed happily. When she got to the photo album, she stopped.

"Where did you find this?" Brooke looked at her father.

"Your desk. Why didn't you show me this before?" Severus smiled at her a little, sitting next to her. "This is very good, Brooke."

"I've been making this for a while now… I didn't take pictures I shouldn't have, did I?"

"We have copies, my love. I thought you merely tolerated her." Severus opened the book to the page of their last Christmas. "Except this one. This is the original, so don't lose it."

"What is it?" Emilia asked her husband.

"Brooke made a photo album. Can I show your mother?" Severus asked Brooke.

"Sure, Dad." Brooke handed the heavy book to her father, who handed it to Emilia.

While Emilia flipped through the pages, Brooke continued drawing her picture. "Is Alexis coming tomorrow to see us?"

"She will not be coming until Friday." Severus placed the container from his mother in front of his daughter, pouring the nutrient potions into the eggs and into the strawberry- banana smoothie that his mother had made her. Eileen had put toast, applesauce, and a small pile of grits on the plate for her and the girl dug in with gusto, just as Healer Johnson walked in the door.

"Oh, so we are hungry after all?" She smiled widely and Brooke nodded, her teeth ripping into the toast as fast as she could get it into her mouth.

"So, as promised, what are you going to have for lunch? You can have whatever you want."

After sipping the smoothie, Brooke wiped her mouth. "Can I think on it?"

"Of course," She left the girl's bedside with a broader smile after writing down what the girl was eating on her chart.

After checking Emilia, the healer left, much happier than she did earlier that morning.

"So, why isn't Alexis coming to see us tomorrow?" Brooke asked around her eggs.

"One, don't talk with your mouth full and two, that's none of your concern." Severus went to his wife and spoke with her in hushed tones.

"She destroyed her bedroom?" Emilia exclaimed. Severus gave her a look, frustrated that she cried out the information.

"She trashed her room and you grounded her for that?" Brooke threw up her hands, nearly uprooting her breakfast.

"Eat your meal, and don't butt into matters that don't pertain to you." Severus frowned and started talking to his wife again. "She flooded her bathroom and smashed her mirror, but I think the mirror was an accident. Her shirt was torn so I think it caught on the mirror and she pulled it over."

"How did your mother not hear her tantrum?" Emilia whispered, casting a glance at Brooke, who was stabbing her eggs harder than she needed to.

"She was in the library and you know that room is silenced." Severus smiled. "That's where my mother had my siblings and I study in the summer, so we weren't distracted by the outside world. So I guess that Alexis is my mother's distraction with her knitting." Severus laughed a little.

"Severus, that's not funny!" Emilia smacked her husband's leg, before starting to laugh herself. "So I get to go home on Thursday, huh? Is Alexis excited for me to come home?"

"She's so excited for you both to come home, she's been acting out at home." Severus chuckled a little.

"Be kind to Alexis. She's scared and is acting out because of her fear. Did you spank her?" Emilia knew his temper and sometimes he acted without thinking.

"I think she's a little old for that, don't you? Unless either of the girls hurts others or hurts themselves, or they put themselves in danger, I don't see a reason to spank them."

Emilia kissed her husband softly, smiling against his lips. "I love you so much.

"Hello, hello, hello!" A tall blonde man walked into the room with balloons and flowers.

"Uncle Eric!" Brooke laughed as the man smothered her face with kisses before he tied the balloons to her bed and handed Emilia the flowers.

"I'm glad to see you two survived." Eric flashed a grin at the two who were bed ridden. "But on a slightly heavier note, I'm more than willing to look over the case for you two if you are wishing to sue the Auror department. You do have a very strong case here, and at the very least you will be reimbursed for the expenses that you have accumulated here at St. Mungos. I usually don't do cases for family, but I am willing to make an exception."

"You would actually be willing to help us? Where were you 14 years ago, when I needed a lawyer to keep me out of Azkaban? I was very lucky that Albus represented me when they were rounding up the Dark Lord's followers. When I asked you to just look over the charges that I had for crimes I never committed, you weren't there. You saw arson and murder on the case file and backed out. I believe you said something like 'I'll never represent Death Eater scum like you."

"Severus, stand down." Emilia tried to calm her husband down, but he was hurt. Eric and Severus were usually fine, as long as Eric didn't bring up his career in front of the older boy. When Severus had been arrested when Brooke was one, 15 days after the war ended, Eric had refused to help. Emilia had spent nearly every sickle they had to get a fair trial and to get her husband out on bail.

"Let him rant, Emilia, it's what I deserve." Eric stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I was a horrible brother and I'm trying to help now."

Severus went to say something else, but Brooke called out before he could say anything. "Dad, please stop it."

"Brooke, stay out of this. And another thing, you crow about Gryffindor bravery when you weren't even man enough to back up your brother. I would never do something so lowly and cowardly, you piece of fu-"

"Daddy, stop it!" Brooke swung her legs over the bedside and tried to get up, but her legs were too weak and she barely caught herself on the bedside.

"Brooke!" Severus and Eric came over to her side and while Severus pulled her back onto the bed, Eric fixed the tubing that was stuck into her body. "You need to stay in bed, Lion." Severus brushed her hair back and wiped her face free of tears.

"You need to stop fighting with Uncle Eric. What he did fourteen years ago sucks, but it's over and it happened already. You didn't go to jail, Uncle Eric didn't bail on you after all, and you're 34 years old. I think it's time to stop fighting him and to grow up. He's trying to help us now, and I think that's great."

Severus looked at his brother and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry for shouting Eric, even though you did deserve it."

Eric smiled a little as well. "Yes, I do deserve it. I never said I was innocent of anything." He walked around the bed and came over to the older boy to tightly hug him. Severus looked very uncomfortable and awkwardly patted his back until he let go.

Brooke and Emilia watched the two reconcile happily, as they had been a little uneasy around each other for most of Brooke's life and all of Alexis'. While the two were being awkward, Brooke spent the time untangling her tubes that Eric hadn't wanted to pull at. When she tried to untangle the cord that pumped her pain potion into her veins, the tape that held the needle down popped off, and the needle came out of her arm.

"I hate to break up the moment, but I'm having an issue." Brooke held up the needle that was leaking purple liquid. Severus pushed Eric off of him and went to her side, replacing the needle and re-taping it down with a fresh piece.

"Please be careful, love. This potion is the only thing that's keeping you from being in pain." Severus kissed her wrist where the needle went in. Severus always kissed his childrens' wounds when they got them, ever since they were born.

Brooke pulled Severus' head closer to her and she kissed the top of his head in return. Brooke and Severus had always had a special bond, just like Alexis and Emilia had a very strong bond, though with Emilia in the hospital, Alexis had been clinging to her father more than ever. While Severus wanted to have both of his children all to himself, he knew eventually they would be relating to their mother more, especially as they got older.

The door opened again and the two sisters walked in the room, each with large smiles on their faces.

"Hello family!" Heather chimed, placing the handmade crafts from her young children on Emilia and Brooke's beds. "Wait, where is my Lexi?"

Severus hugged his sister before sitting back on his own chair, laying his right ankle on his left knee. "Well, first, she punched a boy in her class on Friday. And then today, when I went back to the house to pick some of their things up, I found that she had destroyed her bedroom, and flooded her bathroom. Mum is with her now."

"Goodness, that girl is a handful." Megan sat on her sister in law's bed and laid her hand on her arm. "How are you darling?"

"I'm well. I go home on Thursday. We still have to figure out what's happening with Brooke though. She might be moved to a smaller room because this is a two person room."

"I can answer that question, Emilia." Healer Johnson came in the room, her mint colored robes swirling around her ankles. "Brooke is going to be kept here for four days after your discharge, and then she will be moved to our physical therapy ward until August 30th and she should be discharged either that evening or early on the 31st. After that, she will be in outpatient and me or Healer Sal will be making visits to your home, or to Hogwarts, I assume?"

"Her mother and I need to discuss if she will be living with us at Hogwarts until she is ready to start classes or not." Severus looked at his wife who nodded.

"Wait, I might not be able to go to Hogwarts with you?" Brooke pushed herself up onto her hands to be able to see her father over the heads of her aunts and uncle. "Where the bloody hell am I supposed to stay then?"

"Your grandmother would always love to have you stay over or one of your aunts could keep you at their house for the two weeks. But nothing is being decided right now. We are trying to figure out who is getting discharged when so I can call into work and get those days off." Severus looked at Healer Johnson. "Now, who is Healer Sal?"

"Healer Sal will be working with Brooke when she gets moved to our physical therapy ward. He specializes in sports related injuries, however, Brooke's problems resemble those of a Quidditch player falling off his or her broom and shattering their leg, arm, head, and part of their spine. She'll need to wear a leg brace on her right leg for a few months after PT ends, but we can talk about that more as we get closer to discharging her."

Wednesday rolled around with little incident. Brooke was eating, Alexis was behaving, and Emilia was being discharged the next morning. Severus smiled a little as he read the patient before him, one for a hair removal potion specific for bikini areas. Placing that aside, he opened his planner; one filled with meeting dates and times, and wrote in a meeting time for the inventor for Monday the following week. Severus looked at the date, and he allowed his eyes to rove over the large black 11 in the top right hand corner, realizing that it had been week since his family was attacked. His wife was being discharged in twelve hours and his daughter's grounding was over at the same time.

Brooke was being moved in four days and she would be starting her physical therapy in a few days. Healer Johnson had already brought them her brace so when she started therapy she would have it to work with. It was a heavy black brace that strapped at the upper and lower thigh and the upper and lower calf, with two metal bars on either side of the knee, with more bars going down the calf to the ankle where there was another strap.

After Severus made all of his appointments for the days to come, he was able to leave by six. He flooed into his living room, where Heather was reading a magazine, with Alexis nowhere in sight.

"Where is Alexis?" Severus removed his robes, hanging them on the hook by the door.

"She's in her room, where she has been for the whole day. She threw a bit of a tantrum, but a few swats and she calmed right down."

"Oh Heather," Severus sank down next to his sister. "I'm trying not to spank her anymore."

"Well, you left your one sister with two small children at home in charge of your kid. My kids get spanked so that's how I know to discipline."

"You even spank Matthew?" Severus was skeptical. The boy was one, and that seemed a little young to be spanking.

She shrugged. "He wears a diaper, so that's a lot of padding. And I don't wallop him like Eileen did us. He gets a few swats to know I'm not happy with his behavior. Leo is okay with it, and it hasn't damaged either of Matthew or Travis." She flipped a page of her magazine.

Leo was Severus' brother in law and Travis was the potions master's three year old nephew. While Megan and Eric were married as well, Megan to her Hogwarts sweetheart Philip and Eric to his girlfriend from University, Francesca, neither of them had children yet, though Eric and Francesca were trying.

Severus chuckled a little. "I guess. It won't kill her, but I just think she's a little old for it. She turns 11 on the 18th. I'm just glad that Brooke will be in the physical therapy ward and will hopefully be walking a little by then."

"She was asking for you earlier, Sev."

Severus heaved himself up onto his feet. "She always is, isn't she?"

He went up the stairs, and knocked on her door once before walking in. "Alexis, you need to stop having meltdowns every time I leave."

She looked up from her pillow, having thrown herself face down on her bed. "Aunt Heather said I threw another tantrum didn't she?"

"Yes… What happened?" Severus carefully took his shoes off and sat against the headboard of his daughter's bed, pulling her to sit against his chest.

"I told her that I wasn't hungry and didn't want lunch exactly at noon, and when I stayed in my room instead of coming down, she came up here and spanked me for having an attitude." She sniffed a little and wiped her nose of the back of her hand. "I didn't do anything bad, I just wasn't hungry."

"You have to remember, Travis and Matthew do this to her all the time just to cause trouble. I'm sure she didn't do it to be mean; she just doesn't know your personality that well. Not that I'm saying she was right, I will be talking to her about it. Did you eat lunch at all?"

"She said that because I was bratty I could wait until dinner." Alexis looked up at her father's face to find it stormy. "Daddy, are you mad at me?"

"No love, I'm mad at your aunt. She's never done this before."

"I think she was having a bad day." Alexis shrugged.

"Never the less, I think not eating all day is enough of a punishment. Come on down and you can help me cook dinner and then after that perhaps we can watch a movie or play a game?"

"But Daddy, you said I'm not allowed to have fun while I'm grounded." Alexis sat up a little straighter, trying to understand if this was a trick or not.

"You were spanked for something you didn't do and then you weren't fed for an attitude you didn't have. I think I can lift your grounding a night early." Severus caught her as she threw herself at him in joy.

"Thank you Daddy!"

Severus watched as she flew out of her room, and when he called out, "No running in the house!" her feet slowed a little bit.

Putting his shoes back on, Severus walked down the stairs after her to see his sister giving her a look while Alexis was looking through the movie collection.

"Sev, why is she down here? I thought she was grounded till tomorrow?" Heather placed her magazine down on the couch.

"Alexis just told me she was spanked for not eating lunch and then you refused to feed her after that?" Severus crossed his arms and glared at the younger girl.

"Sev, my boys pull this all the time. I know she was doing it for attention." Heather looked at Severus like she couldn't believe he wasn't going to believe her.

"Alexis rarely eats lunch on time. We usually make Brooke lunch then Alexis an hour later. It's not something you punish a child for." He scowled. "My father used to use food as a punishment, Heather. Emilia and I agreed we would never not feed our children! You have no right denying her meals much less spanking her for not wanting one."

"Sev, I can only discipline how I discipline my own children." She was shocked that he wasn't taking her side.

"Her grandmother doesn't even spank her! My mother runs her punishments by me or my wife! Megan and Eric do the same! This isn't rocket science! I don't care if this is how you raise your kids, and I really hope it's not because you aren't feeding toddlers? But these are not your kids, and they will never be your kids! This is my daughter and I never want to hear that you laid an unkind hand on her ever again!"

"Sev, don't do this…" Heather touched his arm, trying to calm him down.

"Get out of my house, Heather." Severus pointed to the floo. When she didn't move, Severus went to his daughter, scooped her up and held her on his hip, even though she was a little big for it. With the other hand, he held the pot of floo powder out for her to take from.

"Fine! If that's how you want to end this, then I will go." Heather gathered her things and stomped through the fireplace.

"Daddy, does she hate me?" Alexis wrapped her arms around Severus' neck and hugged him tightly.

"No, child. I think it's me she hates right now. But she had no right spanking you. I'm very glad you told me." He kissed her forehead and placed her down. "Now, let's get dinner started."

Alexis ate everything on her plate, which Severus expected she would. He had made broccoli as a vegetable, which normally Alexis wouldn't touch, but tonight she ate it all and asked for seconds of everything. Severus happily piled more green on her plate and less potato. She ate all without complaint, and even started washing the dishes without being asked.

Severus pushed her out of the way when he was done eating, and took over washing, having her dry and put the dishes away. Usually his girls wiped down the table together and he and his wife washed and dried the dishes, but things would be a little different until September. Once they were done, they both took the hand towels the family used to wipe down the table and they started to wipe everything down.

"Now, what are we going to do tonight?" Severus placed the cloths on the hangers connected to the kitchen cabinets and dried his hands. He grimaced when Alexis wiped her hands on her jeans, leaving wet streaks down the fabric.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right to watch a movie without Brooke, you know?" Alexis plopped down on the couch, bouncing a little as she made contact with the cushion.

"It doesn't feel right to me that you keep throwing yourself on my furniture, thinking its doing no damage." Severus sat next to her, pulling her to lean into his side.

"What time is Mummy coming home?" Alexis looked up at her father, who smoothed her hair in response.

"She's coming home while you're in school, love." Severus kissed her head when she started whining about it. "Hush, child. I'm going to ask if she can come with me to pick you up tomorrow. If not, you'll see her at 6."

"But I want to see her now!" Alexis widened her eyes, trying to get her father to keep her out of school.

"Alexis, I'm not bending on this. You have a few weeks left of the Early Wizard's Academy, and I think you should make the most of them. Furthermore, I don't want to hear that you weren't paying attention, or that you were cheeky to Ms. Rutledge either. I need you to be on your best behavior tomorrow, and if you aren't, I will ground you for the rest of your summer."

Alexis scowled and crossed her arms, now refusing to look at her father. Severus sighed a little, before quickly starting to tickle her, making her laugh hard. He only let up when she started choking from laughing too hard.

"Okay, breathe child." He rubbed her back, making her smile a little again.

"Daddy, are you excited for Mummy to come home?" Alexis crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I am very excited for Mummy to come home, love. I miss having her here very much."

"What about Brooke?" She felt him loop his arms around her waist and squeeze her tightly.

"Yes, I miss your sister just as much as I miss Mummy. I can't wait for them to be home and for us to be together again."

"Aunt Heather said that you said that Brooke might not come back to Hogwarts when I go. But I really want her to see me get sorted…"

"I talked to your mother while they had Brooke in the bath last night, and she and I agreed that Brooke is allowed to stay in our quarters with someone watching her during the day to make sure she doesn't sneak off to class before she's cleared by the healers. She is allowed by us to come to the Welcome Back Feast and to sit at her table with her friends but she's not going to class for a while." Severus poked her nose with the pad of his finger. "But don't say anything."

"What about when I go to Diagon Alley to get my supplies?" Alexis furrowed her brow, feeling a little sad about the fact that she might not be able to share the experience with her sister.

"If she does well with her PT, Healer Johnson will let her go with us either in a wheelchair or on crutches." Severus nearly choked when Alexis threw herself around his neck, squeezing tightly. "Okay, child, okay, let go of my neck so I can breathe."

"Sorry Daddy." Alexis released his neck and leaned into the crook of his arm, letting him cradle her a little bit. He rocked her for a time, content to just spend time with her. Severus summoned his book from the side table next to his armchair, reading the text quietly to his child, his smooth voice washing over her. He noticed her nodding off in his arms, and he smiled at her sleeping form, moving her hair off her face, her head lolling on her shoulder. Severus marked his place in his book before placing the tome on the couch next to him.

He carefully picked her up and carried her up the stairs, being sure not to wake her. He moved her to one arm to turn down her bed, and then he waved his wand to change her into her pajamas. Severus then tucked her into bed, where she woke a little.

"Daddy?" She questioned, rubbing her eyes.

"Go to sleep, and I'll wake you for school tomorrow, alright?" Severus kissed her forehead and brushed the wisps of hair off her face, watching her slip back into sleep.

Severus left the room and went back into the living room, pouring himself a class of whiskey from the one bottle he allowed himself to have at their house. Pouring himself a large glass, he capped the rest and relocked the cabinet. Sitting with his book in his favorite armchair, Severus indulged in his alcohol before retiring to bed himself.

Severus dressed himself to go bring his wife home and to bring Alexis to school, extinguishing the cigarette in his hand before donning his robes. Banishing the butts and ashes, he tucked the ash tray in the drawer before leaving to wake his daughter. Before leaving the room, Severus waved his wand over himself, banishing the smell of cigarettes from his breath and clothes.

"Wake up, Alexis." Severus gently shook the sleeping girl after he walked into the room. "It's time to get ready for school."

She yawned, stretched, and jumped out of bed, pulling clothes out of her closet. Severus left the room; going down to the kitchen to make her lunch and make sure her bag was packed. In a few short weeks, it would be up to her to make sure everything was in order, but for now, he was content doing so. Emilia had been saying for the past year he was babying her, but he didn't care. After all, she was his youngest child.

His daughter came bounding down the stairs, half her hair up in a ponytail, the lower half down, flowing down her back.

"It's hot out. Are you sure you want to wear long sleeves?" Severus asked her as he slipped her lunch box in her backpack.

"It goes good with my shorts." She looked down at her olive green shorts that she had tucked the black shirt into.

"Your white tee shirt would work with that as well, and you'll be much cooler." Severus put the bag on the coffee table, and shooed her up the stairs. "I don't need Ms. Rutledge telling me you died of heatstroke!" He called up after her.

A minute or two later, she came back down the stairs, this time dressed in the white tee shirt. Shouldering her bag, Alexis allowed Severus to guide her to the fireplace and stepped into the fireplace to be whisked away to her school.

When they reached the classroom door, Ms. Rutledge waved a skipping Alexis into the classroom while Severus signed her in.

"She seems much happier than the past few days." She commented as Severus signed his name on the drop off sheet.

"Her mother is being released from the hospital in an hour." Severus smiled at the teacher, before peeking into the classroom. His daughter was stowing her backpack while laughing with the other students who were next to her. She placed her lunch box on the shelf in the back with the rest of the boxes before she sat down. Alexis clearly sensed eyes on her, for she twisted around and waved to her father, before facing front again.

Severus walked into the room where his wife and daughter were being checked over by the healers, with Healer Johnson talking quietly to a portly, red faced man.

"Severus, this is Healer James Sal. He's going to be in charge of Brooke's physical therapy." Healer Johnson laid her hand on his shoulder, leading him over to his wife who was dressed in soft sweatpants and a large shirt.

"How are you feeling, my love? Ready to go home?" Emilia smiled and squeezed her husband's hand in response. Severus kissed her softly before turning to his daughter. "And you, Lion? How are you feeling?"

"Alright. I wish Mum was staying though. I don't want to be here alone."

"I have some good news, Brooke. Healer Sal wants to move you to your new room now, so in the morning, you can start on your therapy."

"You think she's ready for it?" Emilia stood after the interns gave her the okay to stand, coming to sit on her daughter's bed. Having been doing stretches all morning, preparing to walk out of the hospital, Emilia was glad to finally leave.

"She'll be fine. Since she sustained a fracture in her hand and it damaged her joints, we want to start with some strengthening of her hand and her arm. Hopefully by the end of the week, we can get you in the pool and start working on your leg muscles. Do you know how to swim?" Healer Sal smiled kindly at Brooke, who was being helped into a wheelchair, along with all her tubing.

"Yes, I do." Brooke looked at the bag of pain meds that were hanging from her chair. "How will the pool work though, if I'm being injected with this?" She pointed to the bag.

"Ah, well, we healers aren't that dumb, and I think we can move you to a five times daily pain potion, that will be taken orally. We will be slowly weaning you off this potion, but if you feel like you can't handle it, we can hold off on the oral meds as we start therapy."

"Won't pain medication in a pool be dangerous? Isn't there a chance she can become too relaxed and drown?" Severus frowned, trying not to become angry.

"We have trained staff that knows how to help those in need of pool therapy do it properly. Unfortunately, I don't swim, but I know what she'll need to do to make the most of her seasons. Brooke will be working with Gina, my assistant, while she's in the pool, and Gina will make sure she doesn't drown. We also have a Muggle gym that Brooke will be using, walking on a treadmill and lifting weights, that sort of thing. As we find out what her needs are the more we work with her, the more personal her plan will become." Healer Sal straightened one of her tubes.

Another wheelchair was brought into the room, and Emilia was helped into that one. "Why am I in a wheelchair?"

"Mrs. Snape, it's St. Mungo's policy. You will be helped to the floo in a wheelchair, where you can then go home on your own. It's just a precaution." Healer Sal smiled and walked out of the room, after he bade goodbye to them all.

"Can Emilia go with me to pick up Alexis?" Severus asked, talking hold of the handles of his wife's wheelchair.

"I think she should stay at home and rest, Severus. Alexis will see her when she gets home. Before you two leave, would you like to see Brooke's new room so you know where to go when you come to see her next?" Healer Johnson took over Brooke's chair, wheeling the girl into the hallway.

They all went down to a blue colored hall, before taking a right at the end into a green colored hall. When she took another right, they passed a large in ground pool, where several Healers were in the water with patients.

This is where you will be doing your water things, Brooke." Healer Johnson pointed out the pool and then the promised gym, where there were tables with weights, exercise balls, treadmills and so much more.

"Now, the exciting part." Healer Johnson unlocked a room and wheeled Brooke in, followed by her parents. "This is your room."

In the room, there wasn't a hospital bed, but a real bed, without bars on it. There was a dresser, a desk and a tall closet. Next to the closet, there was a shoe rack and a trash bin. On the wall, in red and gold letters Brooke was spelt out, along with the quilt that Eileen had been making.

"Where did all this come from?" Brooke was helped into the bed, her tubes carefully adjusted so they didn't pull at her.

"Your grandparents came while your father was at work and decorated everything for you. Your closet is filled with clothes and your dresser is filled with more clothes. They wanted to make sure you had an outfit for every occasion. They also brought your shoes and Eileen was thoughtful enough to bring you a mini fridge that your mother had charmed to work in the Wizarding World. She already filled it with water, juice and a week's worth of meals."

Brooke smiled widely and Healer Johnson left the room after saying goodbye. Severus and Emilia stayed for another hour before Severus' pocket watch read 5:30.

"I hate to cut this short, but I must go pick up your sister. And I'm sure your mother wants to get settled at home." Severus and Emilia kissed their daughter goodbye. "We'll all be up tomorrow to come and see you, alright?"

"Yes Dad. See you guys tomorrow!"


	3. Baby Talk

Emilia and Severus walked into the living room of their home, Severus helping his wife to the couch where she sat down heavily. Severus kissed her forehead before moving to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea, where he heard her call to him from the living room. Drying his hands, his face lost what little color he had when he saw that his pack of cigarettes had fallen out of his pocket, now held tightly in his wife’s hand. 

“Emilia, I can explain.” Severus made to take them from her, but she was too quick, pushing them out of sight. 

“Severus Snape, you know how I feel about this. I tolerated your two packs daily while we dated, but I cannot stand for this.” 

Severus sat next to her, head in his hands. “They help with stress. This past week was pure hell, Emmie. I… I have no explanation for this, but I am sorry.” 

“You’re not sorry you’ve been smoking, Severus, you’re sorry you got caught. I have two children. I know how the I’m sorry line works. I tolerate your drinking, because you don’t do it often and you don’t get drunk. I tolerated the smoking till it turned my ceilings yellow. I’m not having this anymore, Sev.” 

He nodded, reaching around her and taking the pack from the cushions where she had shoved it. Standing with them, he ran his thumb over the embolden words on the carton almost lovingly, before tossing them all into the fire, casting a shield charm that prevented the smell and smoke from backing into the house. 

“There, they’re gone.” Severus went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a shot, downed it and then relocked it.

“You shouldn’t give up one bad habit for another.” Emilia called to him after he went to respond to the whistling kettle. 

“I know, Emilia. It was one shot, and its five thirty at night. I’m not exactly my father. I don’t drink at all hours of the day.”

Emilia dropped the subject, knowing how touchy her husband was with the topics of drinking and smoking. He had always drank and he had picked up the habit of smoking from Death Eater meetings, where they would all meet together afterwards and talk to each other about their families and jobs. Her husband had stated he had to stay and participate to not draw attention to himself, but she knew he just liked to feel included. However, she was never going to be the one to call him out on that. 

Emilia took the tea she was offered, letting the heat from the mug warm her hands. “Darling, I wasn’t looking to start a fight. I just… I don’t want the girls exposed to smoking, you know?” 

Severus sighed, coming around to sit next to her. “I know. I’ve been very careful to hide it from Alexis, but I’m trying. I’ve been smoking considerably less than before.” 

“I saw that. There were only two cigarettes taken out of that pack. But, I think you shouldn’t be smoking at all. And if you read the papers that Healer Johnson gave me before we left, they say Brooke and I should not be exposed to second hand smoke for six months.” 

Severus gave her a look before standing up. “While you go over your papers, I’m going to fetch our daughter from school.” 

Emilia smiled at her husband before he disappeared into the floo network, sipping her tea. Before getting up, she placed her cup on the table next to the couch. Moving to her husband’s armchair, Emilia wrapped her body in the afghan that was draped over the back. Sitting back down on the couch to drink her tea, Emilia could only wait until her husband and daughter came back to give her any source of entertainment. 

~*****~ 

Severus stepped out of the floo, waving his wand over his clothes to remove any trace of soot from the black cloth. He nodded to the receptionist before moving down the hallway to his daughter’s classroom, where Ms. Rutledge was assigning the homework. He stood the other parents, waiting for his daughter to be dismissed. 

“Don’t forget your reading slips for tomorrow! You all must have at least read for an hour and have the slips signed whoever you live with. Don’t forget you have math to do if you didn’t finish your problems from earlier. Alright, you can go see your parents now.” At the last sentence, there was a wild wave of ten and eleven year olds running into the hallway. 

Severus caught his daughter as she threw herself into his arms, her hair flying behind her. Like the past week, he took his backpack from her, as to make it easier for her to floo. Unlike her sister, Alexis didn’t mind holding her parents’ hands, and when Severus put her down, she took hold of his long fingers while he led her to the fireplace to bring her home. 

“Is Mummy home?” Alexis skipped beside her father, waving goodbye to the receptionist as she did every day. 

“Yes, Alexis, she’s home.” He paused to throw floo powder into the fireplace, leading her through to their living room. 

“MUMMY!” Alexis screamed and ran through the room, throwing herself at her mother who put her tea down to catch her daughter. Severus was going scold the girl for running and shouting in the house, but knowing that she hadn’t seen her mother for a week, he supposed he could let it slide for once. 

“Ooo I missed you so much, Alexis.” Emilia rocked her back and forth, leaning forward a little from the weight of her daughter. 

Severus moved Alexis to actually be on the sofa to prevent Emilia from injuring herself. Once his worry was taken care of, he moved to the kitchen to start dinner preparation. 

“Severus Snape, cooking is my responsibility.” Emilia tried to get up from the couch, and wincing a little, she managed to get up without hurting herself. 

“Emilia, you better be sitting on that couch or I’ll put you to bed like one of the girls.” Severus poked his head out of the doorway, a dishrag on his shoulder. “I have been cooking for the past week, making sure your daughter didn’t starve, and I have been preparing her lunches for school. I think I can handle making dinner tonight. Healer Johnson said you were to relax and to not do housework for a week.” 

Emilia sighed, trying to not get angry with her husband. She knew that he was right, so she painfully sat back down, wrapping her arm around her child, pulling her to sit against her chest. “At least tell me what you’re making.” 

“Now, my dear wife, that is part of the surprise. Now, you will sit there, or go up to bed until dinner is ready, and you will relax. If you cannot do that, I will put you to bed and make you stay there with a sticking charm.” 

“Severus, I am not a child.” Emilia fixed him with a glare that he returned.

“Alexis, come here and stir this.” Severus handed her the spoon, before he moved to the woman on the couch and scooped her up. 

“Severus, put me down!” Emilia lightly punched his arm as he made his way to the stairs. 

“No, you’re going upstairs and you’re going to relax. My daughter and I will be making dinner, and when that is ready, you can come down.” Severus carried her up the stairs and entered their bedroom, laying her under the covers. Waving his wand, he stuck her to the mattress. 

“Severus, I mean it, I refuse to be shut up here like a child!” Emilia shrieked, trying to pull herself up off the bed. “Give me my wand!” 

“I’ll give you your wand back in a week. Healer’s orders, my love.” Severus smirked, crossing his arms at his wife who was surrounded by the pillows on their bed. Severus hadn’t the heart to get rid of them while she was gone, and made do with the decorative pillows she insisted on having on the bed at all times. 

“After what happened last week, I would think that you would want me to be armed at all times.” She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Severus. He sighed and sat on the bed next to her. 

“Love, I want you to be protected, but right now, you need to rest and you need to recover. I would hate to have to explain to Alexis why her mother is back in the hospital.” He kissed her forehead and left the room, shutting the door behind him to muffle her cries of anger.

Going down the stairs, he reentered the kitchen where Alexis was laughing and stirring the sauce he was making before his wife started to go against her healer’s orders. 

“Daddy, are you mad at Mummy?” Alexis gave her father back the spoon and stepped back, starting to set the table for three instead of two. 

“Oh no, I’m not mad, but your mother needs her rest. Do you have any homework you need to do?” Severus deflected the conversation away from her mother, trying to get her to not think about how sick Emilia actually was. 

“Yeah, I have to read and do the rest of my math. I’m not good at math and I always have to finish it for homework.” 

Severus turned from the stove to see her sitting at the table, her head propped up on her hand. “Do you want to know a secret? You can’t tell anyone, not even your sister.” 

“Yes!” Alexis’ head popped up and she smiled, happy to be able to know something Brooke didn’t know.” 

Severus added some spices to the sauce in front of him. “When I was in University, getting my mastery in Potions, I failed the math course I needed to take to graduate.” 

“You failed?” Alexis looked at her father in shock. “I don’t believe it.” 

“After dinner I can get you my marks if you would like proof. I had to take the course over in the summer. Unfortunately, it set me back a term and instead of graduating at 20, I graduated at 21.” 

Alexis stood and got her backpack, unloading the papers and her book she needed to read from. “Mummy said that you’re the youngest person to get your potions mastery ever.” 

“I was, because I graduated so soon after Hogwarts. But I was taking five or six classes at a time when most people only take three or maybe four. I also took summer classes to finish up as quickly as possible. When you really want something, you have to work really hard to get it. Like math, you’re going to need to know how to do it, especially for potions. You need to know how to weight ingredients and how to do conversions. I can’t teach everyone everything about math because it would take up too much time.” 

“But Daddy, how are you good at math now?” Alexis sat and pulled her math worksheets over to herself, tapping her pencil on the table before her. 

Severus came over to her after setting the stove top to low, sitting across from her as she moved from tapping to gnawing on the eraser. Gently taking it out of her mouth, he twisted the sheet of paper to look at her problems. “I practiced a lot and I asked for help when I needed it. I’m not the best, but I know enough to say I’m good at it.” 

“I’ll never be as good as you. And Brooke is so much better at math than me too!” She gave her father puppy dog eyes when he looked up from reviewing her problems. 

“Brooke has been in school so much longer than you. And she became good at math by practicing and staying after class with me to review her calculations. She joined the potions club where they practice conversions all the time more than they actually brew. I advise you to do the same.” Severus frowned at one of her calculations and he circled it with her pencil. “You need to check that one, Alexis.” He stood and went back to the sauce, stirring it slowly. 

“I don’t get it.” Alexis slumped over the page, frowning at the numbers. 

“Don’t get what? ‘It’ as you put it, doesn’t exactly help me help you.” 

“I have no idea how to multiply in my head.” She let her head fall forward onto the table with a thump. 

Severus chuckled a little and pulled a pot from under the counter, filling it with water from the tap. “Give me a moment and I’ll show you the trick I showed your sister when she started doing multiplication.”

“We’ve been doing it for a while and now we’re doing four numbers at once and I can’t do it!” She looked up and when Severus turned around, he saw tears of frustration in her eyes. 

“Oh Alexis, it’s going to be okay.” He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll get it eventually.” 

“No I won’t and when I don’t get how to do the problems, everyone at Hogwarts will laugh at me!” She turned to Severus, who wore a confused expression. 

“Do you think I make you all come up to the board and work out conversions?” Severus sat back in the chair he had vacated and held her hands. “Child, I only make sure everyone knows how to measure ingredients and how to work the scales. There are more conversions that everyone will learn but not until your third year.” 

“Are you sure? You said Brooke stayed after and you helped her.” 

“Yes, because she had no idea how to work her scale. After the first class, she wanted to know how, but like you, was embarrassed to ask in class. So she stayed behind ten extra minutes and we sat together and I helped her figure it out. You know her and I brew on the weekends. How would she have gotten comfortable with conversions if she didn’t practice?” 

“She wouldn’t have been.” Alexis pulled her hands from Severus and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I guess I should finish this huh?” 

“Yes, you should. I want that sheet done before supper is ready. We can read afterward.” 

“How did you know I have to read?” 

Severus eyed her for a moment. “Your book is on the table and you always have to read for homework. Now, instead of trying to do these problems all at once, like you are, multiply two, get an answer and then use that answer to multiply the third number. Write out the numbers vertically so your ones, tens and hundreds line up as well. That’s how Brooke and I do it and we are, as you said, ‘really good at it’” He stood and returned to the stove. 

Alexis shrugged and started scratching away at the paper, first fixing the problem that Severus had circled. “I still don’t get how this one is wrong, Daddy.” 

“The one I circled was wrong because anything times zero is zero. You multiplied 20 by zero and got 20. That’s addition, Alexis.” 

“But why?” Alexis looked at him, twirling her pencil in the air. 

“It’s a math law. If you want to talk to a math major, talk to your Aunt Megan, I’m sure she’ll have a better answer.” 

“I thought she had a masters in transfiguration?” Alexis furrowed her brow, trying to keep everything straight.

“She is, but she minored in Mathematics. I didn’t have a minor, so I could finish early. You certainly are full of questions tonight, when you should be doing your work.” 

Alexis huffed, but went about doing her homework, stopping on the second to last problem to eat a spaghetti noodle to check if it was done. With her nod, Severus strained and poured the noodles into the large bowl and mixed the sauce in, and with the bowl of salad, he set it on the table. 

“Daddy, I’m done!” Alexis handed him the paper at his request, and when he declared them all right, she stuffed all her belongings back into her bag for later. “I’ll go get Mummy!” 

Severus laughed. “You can wait down here, love. Mummy is stuck to the bed and I don’t think you have the magic ability yet to free her. Fortunately for Mummy, I do.” Once he set the table of everything, he went up to his bedroom, finding his wife asleep. 

“And she said she didn’t need to relax.” Severus muttered before sitting next to his wife. “Emmie, dinner’s ready.” He gently shook her shoulder, trying not to completely startle her. 

She didn’t wake, but simply groaned, rolling over onto her stomach. Severus kicked his shoes off and removed his robes before climbing up next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. Severus played with her hair until her eyes fluttered open. 

“Hey,” She muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“Hey,” Severus returned the greeting, smiling at her. “Dinner is ready, if you’re hungry.” 

“Mhhmmm…” She stretched out and wrapped her arms around her husband, pulling him down to lay with her. “Alexis can fend for herself right? Dinner is ready and we can just sleep till morning right?” 

“I promised her I would read with her after dinner. So, no, we can’t just go to bed now.” Severus laughed at her disappointed face and kissed her lightly. 

Emilia, however, deepened the kiss, moving so her hips lay flushed with Severus’. He groaned into her mouth and pulled back a little. 

“Emmie, I love you and I would love to have you right now, and I will later tonight, but Alexis is awake and downstairs. If we don’t go down there soon, she will come up here, and I don’t think you want our ten year old finding her parents having sex.” 

“We’ll lock the door. And we’ll use a silencing charm.” Emilia undid her husband’s belt and trousers, reaching into his boxers. 

“Emilia,” He moaned before pulling her hand away and standing up. “We can’t. Alexis still has homework to finish and dinner is ready. She’s excited to see you and as much as I would like to keep you up here all night, we do have to go downstairs.” He redid his pants and belt as he spoke. Putting his shoes and robes back on, Severus kissed his wife again, this time squeezing one of her breasts and rolling her nipple between his fingers through her shirt. He then removed himself from her, smirking at her flushed face.

“Tease,” she gasped before getting up from the bed and leaving the room before her husband. 

“I’m a tease? “ Severus pulled his wife back into the room and kicked the door shut. Pushing her back against it, he whispered in her ear, “At least I didn’t reach into your pants and rub your clit, making you wet for me, but not do anything about it.”

“What are you talk-“ She cut herself off when he pressed his hips back against hers’, making her feel his hard length through his pants.

“So, I think tease is better applied to you, my dear.” 

Emilia laughed and pulled him out the door, kissing him as she did so. “I’m so glad to be home.” 

~*****~

Severus scrubbed a plate with his wife next to him drying the pan that had held the sauce. Alexis was wiping down the table and removing the placemats that his wife insisted they use. Even when she wasn’t there, Severus had used them, for a reason he didn’t understand. When Alexis tried to set the table the first night they ate dinner without Emilia, he had come up behind her and had redone the table, making sure that everything was perfect to his wife’s standards. 

Emilia took the final dish from Severus and wiped it dry, before placing it in the cupboard above her. Severus dried his hands on the flannel that hung on the oven door, kissed his wife and then walked back into the living room where his daughter was sitting in his armchair by the fire. 

“That’s my chair, brat.” He said playfully, moving her to the side, settling in the space that was left in the large chair. He had ordered the chair large when Brooke was born, and had enlarged it when Alexis was born. 

“Sorry Daddy.” Alexis didn’t look up from her book, merely shifting over for her father, not seeming sorry at all. 

“Mhmm. How long do you have to read for, love?” Severus brushed a wisp of her hair off her face, noting the smile that gently spread on her face. 

“20 minutes,” She snuggled closer to his side.

~*****~

Brooke settled her weight on the set of crutches that Healer Johnson handed her and pivoted on her good leg, sinking into the wheelchair. With her arm now not in a cast anymore, and simply a very stiff, waterproof splint, she was cleared to be in the pool, but the compromise for her no longer casted arm was three extra days of arm strengthening. Brooke was happy for the compromise, for she could take the splint off to scratch her arm. 

“Good, now roll over here to me,” Healer Sal sat on a stool, ten feet away from the wheel chair. 

Brooke grasped the wheels, pain shooting up from her wrist, but she gritted her teeth and wheeled over to the healer, sweat beading on her forehead. 

“Are you in pain?” Healer Sal didn’t wait for an answer and rolled the small wheel that was keeping her tickle to a bare minimum, letting more pain reliever into her blood stream. 

“Why am I practicing this? I just got moved here a few hours ago.” Brooke frowned and sagged against the back of the chair as the pain reliever took away the pain in her arm. 

“Well, I’m not supposed to say anything, but if you can show us that you can wheel yourself around without pain for the next two weeks, you can join your family when they get supplies for Hogwarts.” 

Brooke smiled. “Are you serious?” With that, she gritted her teeth once more and wheeled out the door of the rehabilitation room, right out into the hallway.

“Brooke, stop!” Healer Sal followed her laughing. “You’re going to hurt yourself.” 

“No, I’m going to kick this pain’s ass!” Brooke wheeled past the pool and into her room, stopping at her mini fridge. On top, there was a basket of snacks, and she plucked a packet of trail mix from the top. 

“You seem very committed. “ He stood in her doorway as she poured granola into her mouth. 

“No, I’m starving. It’s not my fault that you kept me working till 8 at night.” Brooke drank a bottle of water before wheeling over to the healer. 

“Is it that late already?” Healer Sal slapped his forehead and started prepping one of Eileen’s meals for her. “I’m sorry Brooke. I was so thrilled at the progress you’ve made in one night.” He stirred the chicken soup, adding her potions to it. Helping Brooke back into bed, a charmed tray hovered over her, where he placed the food. 

“I stood on crutches.” Brooke swallowed a spoonful of soup. “That’s hardly impressive.” 

“Brooke, not two weeks ago you nearly died. The fact that we can wean you off your potions already and you can even put pressure on even one leg is amazing. Not unheard of, but it is amazing.” 

He moved the wheelchair into the corner of the room and smiled at the girl who made quick work of her dinner. 

“I think tomorrow we can revisit the wheelchair, and we’ll see how the healing potions are working. I think it’ll be a good day tomorrow.” He waited until she had finished eating before he cleared everything away and helped her get under the covers. 

~*****~

Severus carried Alexis up the stairs, her head lolling on his shoulder. He held her under her thighs, her arms wrapped around his neck. He nudged her door open with his foot, before laying her gently onto her bed. Waving his wand, Severus changed her clothes into pajamas and he tucked her in, kissing her forehead lightly. As he left the room he turned the light off and shut the door. Walking down the stairs, Severus smiled at his wife who was holding out a glass of wine to him. 

“Is she asleep?” Emilia asked, sipping her own wine. Severus nodded, taking a sip of his own. 

“Out like a light. She’ll have to be woken up for school tomorrow, I think she’ll be sleeping through her alarm though.” 

“Why?” Emilia put her wine down, looking at him with his eyebrow raised. 

“I may have put a mild sleeping draught in her milk tonight.” He sat next to her, taking another sip before putting it down next to hers’. 

“Severus Snape, you did not.” Emilia reached over and smacked his arm. 

“I did too, because you started something this evening and I intend to finish it.” He lunged forward and crushed his mouth onto her’s, sending them back against the couch. Emilia fumbled with his belt and after a few moments she managed to pull it free, and set to undoing his pants. Severus moved from her mouth and started to kiss her neck, reaching his hands up her shirt. 

Emilia moaned and her hands finally pulled his pants open, shoving them down his legs. “We need…. To move…. Upstairs” She sat up and let Severus remove her shirt. “Tomorrow morning…. We can’t be down here… If Alexis catches us…Oh gods!” Severus had migrated down from her neck to her breasts, sucking on her nipple. 

Once he had her writhing under him, Severus picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder, kicking his pants off as he moved up the stairs with his wife. She giggled, when he kicked the door and then kicked it shut, tossing his wife onto the bed. She wiggled out of her pants while her husband locked, warded and silenced the door. As he came back to the bed, stripping off the remaining clothes as he went, Emilia rolled to lay on her side, reaching out to grab her husband’s hand. 

“Is the door properly warded?” Emilia pulled him onto the bed, laughing as he held himself above her, settling his weight on his forearms. 

“Oh yes, you know as well as I that Alexis sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, even if she’s taken a potion to sleep. The only person I know that can manage to wake up after essentially drugged.” Severus resumed the task of kissing his wife’s neck. 

“I find that I am growing tired of talking about my 10 year old while I am very naked and very horny.” She turned his head over so she could kiss him. “So are we going to talk or are you going to fuck me?” 

“I think the latter is preferable.” Severus pushed into Emilia, the two groaning in pleasure. Severus switched from kissing her neck to her lips, the two moaning into each other’s’ mouths as Severus continued to thrust into his wife. She tore her mouth away and cried out as she came hard around Severus, her muscles clamping down on him. Severus paused in his movements and rested his head on his wife’s shoulder, breathing heavy. 

“Why did you stop? That was the best damn orgasm I’ve had in a long time. Give me another.” Emilia peppered Severus’ sweaty face with kisses, trying to get him to keep moving. She bucked her hips, trying to get him to move. 

“Just… just give me a second.” He groaned, shuddering a little. 

“Baby, are you alright?” Emilia wrapped her arms around his neck.   
“Yes I’m fine…” He took a breath and started moving again, “I just… I didn’t want to come just yet. You feel so good and I missed you so much.” He moved faster, moaning in time with his wife. When he felt his own orgasm approaching again, he reached between her body and his own, rubbing her clit as he pumped into her, her moans getting louder. “Come with me.” 

After a few more thrusts, both Severus and Emilia came, Severus collapsing onto her chest. Rolling off quickly, he pulled her to his chest, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Emilia kissed his chest before she propped herself up to look at him. 

“Severus can I ask you something?” She laid back down on the chest of her husband, trying to gather her courage. 

“Of course my dear.” Severus turned his head to look at her.

“Have you ever thought of having more kids?” Emilia looked into his eyes. She saw the panic course through the black orbs. 

“I think we have the perfect amount, actually.” Severus clutched her tighter, trying to stop his face beating heart, panicked at the thought of having another baby in the house.

“Severus, I really want another baby. After what happened, I realize that we’re not getting any younger, and I want to make use of the time we have on earth. I want to have another baby.” 

Severus turned fully, laying on his side next to her. “Emmie, Brooke is 15 years old. Alexis is 10. That’s a little late to be having more babies. Brooke was royally pissed that we had Alexis and she was 5.” 

She gave him the look, the look she gave her children when they were being ridiculous. “Sev, please. Can we at least try? Healer Johnson checked and she said I was still fertile.” 

Severus frowned. “We can try I guess. But I think we should tell the kids. We need to get their input. After all, a screaming baby will affect them too.”

“Fine.” Emilia huffed, before she kissed his lips. “Thank you, love.” 

~*****~ 

Alexis woke the next morning to her mother gently shaking her awake, just like she used to. “Mummy, are you bringing me to school?” 

“No, dear. Daddy is dropping you off before he goes to work. I still haven’t been cleared to leave the house. I think I should be able to next week. Now get dressed, Daddy has breakfast on the table.” 

Emilia walked down the stairs and got pressed into the living room wall, her husband’s mouth on her neck again. “Severus, Alexis is going to be down here in a second.” 

“Pity, I had such good plans for us. After all, we are trying to have a baby.” Severus nipped at her ear before he pulled away, going back into the kitchen. 

Emilia followed him after a moment and accepted a mug of tea, smiling into the brew. Every morning since they first got married, Severus had been making her breakfast and treating her like a princess. Severus had a soft side that no one ever saw, and it made her happy that he at least showed it to his family. 

When his daughters were sick, he cuddled them for hours. When they were hurt, he covered them with kisses until the tears of pain turned to tears of laughter. When Brooke’s first boyfriend broke up with her, and she cried for hours, Severus was nothing but support. And when Brooke told her parents that she was in another relationship and Severus asked his name, Brooke had replied with ‘Gabriella’, and Severus had hugged her and accepted her sexuality. 

When Brooke had come out as Bisexual to the rest of the family, Severus had defended her fiercely, stating that as long as she was happy, dating a girl was okay. When Brooke had brought Gabriella home, Severus had grilled her much like he had grilled Mike, then he accepted the hug that Gabby, as she insisted the family call her, had given him. As far as Emilia knew, Gabby didn’t know that Brooke was in the hospital. 

“Love, should I write to Gabby and let her know what’s going on?” Emilia placed her tea down. 

“I suppose so. Brooke probably forgot to write to her.” Severus flipped the pancakes as Alexis skipped into the room. 

“Mhmmm, pancakes!” 

~*****~

Brooke took a deep breath and stood on her good leg, pivoting into her wheelchair. When her backside hit the seat, she heard applause that wasn’t her Healer’s. Turning around, Brooke barely had enough time to catch her girlfriend as she threw herself into her arms. 

“Brooke, why didn’t you write me?” Gabby pressed kiss after kiss onto Brooke’s face and mouth. “Never mind, that was a dumb question.” 

Brooke laughed. “How did you know I was here?” She looked at Healer Sal and Healer Johnson who had stopped at the sound of Gabby squealing. 

“I didn’t say anything.” Healer Sal looked at Healer Johnson who shook her head. 

“Your parents wrote me. They said I should come and give you encouragement.” Gabby laughed and tossed her brown hair over her shoulder. “I missed you so much, love.” 

Brooke and Gabby had been together for nearly a year and Severus and Emilia had never seen Brooke happier. Mike had resented Brooke after the breakup and had teased her for dating a girl afterward, but Gabby and Brooke fought very rarely. Mike and Brooke had fought nearly every day of their relationship, and they still fought when they saw each other in the hallways. Brooke had sabotaged Mike’s potion final right after they broke up, switching his fluxweed for regular grass clippings. His potion was a flop, and he failed the class. Severus knew Brooke did it, but he never saw it. However, he grounded her for the weekend and took 5 points off her own final. She still got the highest grade in the class but it made him feel better about the whole ordeal. 

Gabby stood at the end of the room and held her hands out to Brooke. “Come over here.” 

Brooke smiled and with a slight wince, wheeled over to her girlfriend, accepting the kiss Gabby gave her. Gabby moved over to the door and Brooke followed, and when Gabby left the room, Brooke followed her down the hallway, wheeling beside her. 

“Who knew all we needed to get Brooke motivated was her girlfriend?” Healer Sal laughed. “Do you think that Brooke’s girlfriend would Join Brooke in the pool in two weeks? I think Brooke needs some severe motivation.” 

“What do you mean?” Healer Johnson followed the two girls with Healer Sal following behind her. 

“Brooke is healed enough to start walking within the next week and I want her in the pool in two days. However, she’ll need to be in the chair until she goes to Diagon Alley next week and then we can move her to the pool. What I want and the schedule that we’re working with are not mixing. Once we get through Diagon Alley shopping, I think we can move to walking with the brace and swimming in the pool. Then after that, I want to move her to outpatient.” 

Healer Johnson nodded. “That makes sense. I would like her to be out of here earlier as well. Maybe we can figure something out.” 

As they moved down the hall, Eric came into view. “Is Severus here? I think I found a break in this lawsuit. I know where we can hit them hard and win.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for the support


End file.
